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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
Neutrophil Isolation and Analysis to Determine their Role in Lymphoma Cell Sensitivity to Therapeutic Agents
Published on: March 25, 2016
Decreased neutrophil function in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients is restored with lenalidomide therapy
Sandra Askman1,2, Julia Westerlund2, Åsa Pettersson3
1Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Objectives:
Bacterial infections are common and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in multiple myeloma (MM). We have investigated the function of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN), the immune system's first line of defense against bacteria, in peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) samples from patients with newly diagnosed MM (NDMM), smoldering MM (SMM), monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and healthy controls.
Methods:
Phagocytosis and oxidative burst in PMN cells from patients and healthy donors were investigated using PhagoTest and PhagoBurst assay.
Results:
PMN from NDMM, SMM, and MGUS patients had reduced phagocytosis and oxidative burst ability compared with healthy controls. The dysfunction was most prominent in BM samples from MM, SMM, and MGUS patients. Importantly the reduced phagocytosis in MM patients was restored in patients on lenalidomide therapy. Consistently the ability of Escherichia coli stimulated oxidative burst in BM was reduced for the MM, SMM, and MGUS cohort in contrast to the healthy controls and the patients on lenalidomide treatment.
Conclusion:
Our results show that MM patients have neutrophil dysfunction that could contribute to susceptibility for bacterial infections and that lenalidomide therapy was associated with restored PMN function.
Insights
Multiple myeloma patients exhibit neutrophil dysfunction, increasing infection risk. Lenalidomide therapy shows promise in restoring immune cell function in these patients.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Hematology
- Oncology
Background:
- Bacterial infections pose significant risks in multiple myeloma (MM), contributing to morbidity and mortality.
- Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are crucial for combating bacterial infections as the immune system's first responders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of PMNs in patients with varying stages of multiple myeloma (MM), including newly diagnosed MM (NDMM), smoldering MM (SMM), and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).
- To compare PMN function in peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) samples between patients and healthy controls.
- To assess the impact of lenalidomide therapy on PMN function in MM patients.
Main Methods:
- Phagocytosis and oxidative burst assays (PhagoTest and PhagoBurst) were utilized to evaluate PMN function.
- Samples were analyzed from patients with NDMM, SMM, MGUS, and healthy donors.
Main Results:
- PMNs from NDMM, SMM, and MGUS patients demonstrated reduced phagocytic and oxidative burst capabilities compared to healthy controls.
- This neutrophil dysfunction was more pronounced in bone marrow samples.
- Lenalidomide therapy was associated with the restoration of phagocytosis in MM patients.
- Oxidative burst in bone marrow was reduced in MM, SMM, and MGUS cohorts but normalized in patients receiving lenalidomide.
Conclusions:
- Multiple myeloma patients exhibit neutrophil dysfunction, potentially explaining their increased susceptibility to bacterial infections.
- Lenalidomide therapy appears to restore PMN function in MM patients, suggesting a therapeutic benefit beyond anti-cancer effects.
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