Comparative Study of Hemopoietic Precursors from Fetal and Adult Bone Marrow: Utilization of Stem Cells Derived from Miscarriages

Hemopoietic and immune capacities of fetal bone marrow (FBM) obtained from 2nd-trimester lost pregnancies and adult bone marrow (ABM) were compared. Progenitor cell assays for both sources were also enumerated. Our data showed ontogeny-related functional differences between hemopoietic cells, particularly in the ability to produce CD34+ cells (24.6% in FBM, 3.1% in ABM). The phenotypic composition of FBM and ABM were quite different. The clonogenic/proliferative potentials, as measured by CFU-C assays, were significantly higher in FBM when compared to ABM (202.5 vs. 73.5/105 cells). Moreover, FBM had a lower percentage of CD3+ T lymphocytes as compared to ABM (1.47 vs. 7.58), and there was a significantly decreased proliferative responsiveness in mixed lymphocyte reactions of FBM as compared to ABM. Thus, our data clearly showed distinct advantages of FBM over ABM, which include a higher number of stem cells, lower immunological reactivity, and higher clonogenic/proliferative potential. These characteristics provide optimal conditions for successful engraftment without graft-versus-host disease. These data support the possible advantages of FBM from these sources for hemopoietic stem cell reconstitution and gene therapy.