Lymphocyte subpopulations in man: no selective loss during isolation from defibrinated blood

Human lymphocytes isolated from defibrinated blood are characterized especially in relation to the total yield of lymphocytes and their subpopulations identified by membrane markers. The defibrination per se gives a significant loss of monocytes and granulocytes but no loss of lymphocytes, indicating that no selective loss of lymphocytes occurs. In a comparison of heparin-stabilized and defibrinated blood no difference in yield is found during every single step of the isolation procedure. Quantitation of E-RFC and SmIg-positive lymphocytes gives no differences in comparing the respective isolated suspensions of mononuclear cells. The observed difference in EA- and EAC-RFC can freely be ascribed to the difference in monocyte contamination. Further, no correlation is found between total lymphocyte yield and the relative number of the subpopulations identified, i.e. E-RFC, SmIg-positive, Fc-receptor- and complement-receptor-bearing lymphocytes. Hence it is concluded that defibrinated blood is optimal as blood source for the isolation of mononuclear cells when lymphocyte subpopulations are studied and enumerated.