Conditions for engraftment of human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in SCID mice.

Transplantation of human AML into severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice provides a useful experimental model but graft failures have been reported. We investigated the influence of a number of factors on the outgrowth of AML in the SCID mouse bone marrow (BM). The transplantation route and total body irradiation (TBI) were examined using the cell line HL-60 as a model for AML. The role of graft size and recombinant human IL-3 (IL-3) were investigated with patient samples of AML cells. Intravenous transplantation was demonstrated to be superior to intraperitoneal transplantation. Pretransplant conditioning resulted in a dose-dependent increase of AML growth in the SCID mouse. Cell dose titrations ranging from 3 x 10(7) - 3.6 x 10(5) AML cells i.v. per mouse revealed a minimum of 1.1 x 10(6) required for reproducible engraftment. Earlier and more extensive infiltration by human AML cells was seen following injection of greater cell numbers. IL-3 given post-transplantation SCID mouse recipients, promoted AML growth in three cases, whereas a fourth AML cell specimen also grew without support of IL-3. In vitro growth factor responsiveness of AML cells to IL-3 did not predict IL-3 dependence of AML growth in vivo.