Dietary influences on cell proliferation in bone marrow.

Oral dietary protein-calorie malnutrition was used in rats to study the influence of malnutrition on the distribution of the dividing cells in the bone marrow (stem cells) over the compartments of the cell cycle. A 5-day period of malnutrition induced an increase in the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle while simultaneously inducing a statistically significant decrease in the percentage of cells in S phase. Similar results were obtained after a 14-day period of malnutrition. Nutritional replenishment after 5 and 14 days of dietary deprivation induced a rapid recovery of the percentage of S phase cells and a decrease in the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Malnutrition and nutritional replenishment did not influence hemoglobin concentration and platelet numbers in the peripheral blood, but leucocyte numbers increased significantly after short-term replenishment. These results demonstrate a decrease in the percentage of proliferating bone marrow cells after short periods of deficiency and general malnutrition. The results also demonstrate that bone marrow cells recover quickly after nutritional replenishment. In malnourished cancer patients, suspected of bone marrow insufficiency and receiving therapy that potentially impairs bone marrow proliferation, a short period of nutritional replenishment preceding treatment could possibly be marrow-protective.