Accumulation of the neutrophil-derived protein YKL-40 during storage of various blood components

Post transfusion infectious complications associated with allogeneic blood components may depend on storage time and may be related to extracellular accumulation of bioactive substances during storage. YKL-40 is a glycoprotein located in the specific granules of the neutrophils. While exocytosed it may play a role in inflammation and remodelling of the extracellular matrix. We studied the potential accumulation of YKL-40 in blood components during storage.

Using a RIA method extracellular accumulation of YKL-40 was determined in supernatants from whole blood, plasma-reduced whole blood, buffy-coat-depleted SAGM (saline-adenine-glucose-mannitol) blood, whole blood leukocyte depleted by prestorage filtration, and whole blood leukocyte depleted by bedside filtration. The blood was donated by volunteer, healthy blood donors, and stored under standard blood bank conditions for 35 days.

Extracellular accumulation of YKL-40 increased significantly in a time-dependent manner during storage for 35 days of non-filtered whole blood, plasma-reduced whole blood, and SAGM blood, respectively. Prestorage leukocyte depletion of whole blood prevented extracellular YKL-40 accumulation, while YKL-40 accumulation was not reduced by bedside leukocyte depletion.

YKL-40 appears to accumulate extracellularly in a time-dependent manner in standard erythrocyte components. Prestorage leukocyte depletion by filtration of whole blood may be an effective procedure to prevent extracellular YKL-40 accumulation during storage of erythrocyte components.