[Colony-stimulating activities of serum from patients with severe aplastic anemia]

To investigate the correlation between colony-stimulating activities of serum from patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) and their responses to immunosuppressive therapy (IST).

In vitro effects of sera from SAA patients before and after IST and from normal subjects on human marrow colony growth were examined in a semisolid methylcellulose culture system for burst promoting activity (BPA) and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating activity (GM-CSA). Serum erythropoietin (Epo) level was also measured by ELISA method before and after IST in SAA patients.

Serum BPAs in SAA patients at diagnosis were significantly higher than that in normal controls (P<0.001), but serum GM-CSAs in 13 of 22 SAA patients were normal,and in 9 of 22 extremely low as compared with normal values. After IST, serum BPA and GM-CSA in SAA patients had no changes. Serum Epo levels in SAA patients at diagnosis were significantly higher than that in normal controls (P<0.001). After IST,serum Epo levels declined in responded patients, while further increased in nonresponded.

Serum GM-CSA of SAA patients was a predictive factor for responsiveness to IST, and a normal value was associated with a good response.