Multiple lineage colony growth from human marrow in plasma clot diffusion chambers.

Marrow cells from ten healthy adult donors were cultured in plasma clot diffusion chambers implanted intraperitoneally into mice. Host animals were conditioned by two injections of phenylhydrazine and 600 cGy of x-rays. Cultures (5 X 10(4) cells/chamber) were continued for between 2 and 40 days and the chambers were retransplanted into new host animals every 5 days. Following termination of cultures, plasma clots were stained with benzidine-hematoxylin and analyzed microscopically. Erythroid, neutrophil, monocyte, eosinophil, megakaryocyte, mixed, undifferentiated, and fibroblastoid colonies were grown with neutrophil, erythroid, monocyte, and eosinophil colonies being the most frequent. A total of between 25 and 60 colonies was observed per chamber at any time point.