Leukapheresis for the extraction of monocytes and various lymphocyte subpopulations from peripheral blood: product quality and prediction of the yield using different harvest procedures.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Leukapheresis of non-mobilized healthy donors is performed to harvest monocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations for use in various therapeutic regimens. In this methodological study, we compared two different leukapheresis programs, using equivalent volumes of processed blood over similar processing periods, to determine the influence of the procedures on the donor peripheral blood count and to establish the procedure that yields the highest quality product.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The target variables obtained in 41 healthy blood donors who underwent short-term leukapheresis (80-105 min) were retrospectively compared. Twenty-one volunteers were processed on a COBE Spectra machine at the MNC setting and 20 volunteers were processed at the AutoPBSC setting. Data were collected on pre- and postleukapheresis samples and on the product.
RESULTS: AutoPBSC and MNC procedures resulted in a decrease of haemoglobin (5-7%), platelets (17-20%), monocytes (22%) and lymphocytes (23-27%), but not of granulocytes in peripheral blood. Both procedures produced nearly identical leucocyte and lymphocyte yields. AutoPBSC products contained a greater number of granulocytes, monocytes and red cells, but fewer platelets. The preleukapheresis values correlated with the yields for monocytes, T-helper and T-suppressor cells, B-lymphocytes and natural killer cells, but not for granulocytes or platelets.
CONCLUSIONS: Leukapheresis is a safe and efficient procedure for collecting large numbers of peripheral blood monocytes and different lymphocyte populations from non-mobilized donors. The two programs yield comparable leucocyte harvests. Based on our results, yields can be predicted from the peripheral cell counts.