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Leukocyte reduction filters as an alternative source of peripheral blood leukocytes for research

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Peripheral blood leukocytes are a suitable cell model for science research. However, blood samples from healthy volunteers are limited in volume and difficult to obtain due to the complexity of volunteer recruitment.

Objective:

Therefore, it is urgent to find an alternative source of peripheral blood leukocytes.

Method:

One of the possibilities is the use of leukocyte reduction filters (LRFs) in blood banks that is used for preparation of leukoreduced blood products. More than 90% of the leukocytes are trapped in the leukofilters allowing the desired blood product to pass through.

Results:

It has been reported that the biological function of leukocytes collected from the filters are no different from those isolated from buffy coats, leukapheresis products and whole blood (WB) cells. Moreover, LRFs are waste products that are discarded after leukoreduction.

Conclusion:

Thus, leukofilters represent an economic source of human cell populations that can be used for a variety of investigative purposes, with no cost. In the present study, we reviewed the different usage of LRFs in the research, clinical and commercial applications.

Keywords:
Leukocyte reduction filters; Peripheral blood leukocytes; Usage

Introduction

Leukoreduction is the removal of leukocytes from blood components. Each leukoreduced product had residual leukocyte counts of less than 5 × 106 cells per unit.11 Roback J, Combs M, Grossman B, Hillyer C. American association of blood banks technical manual, 376. Bethesda, MD: American Association of Blood Banks; 2008. p. 471. At present, leukoreduction is performed using Leukocyte Reduction Filters (LRFs) that trap leukocytes, while allowing the desired blood product to pass through.22 Sharma R, Marwaha N. Leukoreduced blood components: advantages and strategies for its implementation in developing countries. Asian J Transfus Sci. 2010;4(1):3-8. It has been demonstrated that leukoreduction can reduce adverse transfusion reactions such as febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reactions (FNHTR), alloimmunization against human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and human platelet antigens (HPA), which may cause refractoriness to platelet transfusion, and transmission of infectious diseases.33 Fergusson D, Khanna MP, Tinmouth A, Hébert PC. Transfusion of leukoreduced red blood cells may decrease postoperative infections: two meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Can J Anaesth. 2004;51(5):417-24.

4 Blumberg N, Zhao H, Wang H, Messing S, Heal JM, Lyman GH. The intention-to-treat principle in clinical trials and meta-analyses of leukoreduced blood transfusions in surgical patients. Transfusion. 2007;47(4):573-81.
-55 Pennington J, Taylor GP, Sutherland J, Davis RE, Seghatchian J, Allain J-P, et al. Persistence of HTLV-I in blood components after leukocyte depletion. Blood. 2002;100(2):677-81. In addition, leukoreduction can prevent the release of leukocyte metabolites, such as cytokines and histamine. These metabolites contribute to adverse reactions and increase the percentage of hemolysis in red blood cell (RBC) products.66 Rapaille A, Moore G, Siquet J, Flament J, Sondag-Thull D. Prestorage leukocyte reduction with in-line filtration of whole blood: evaluation of red cells and plasma storage. Vox Sang. 1997;73(1):28-35. There are different commercial leukofilters, such as the Leukoflex LST-1 (MacoPharma), Leukoflex LCR5 (MacoPharma), Leukotrap WBF-3 (Pall Medical) Compoflex T3908 (Fresenius Hemocare), Optipure RZ 2000 (Baxter) and TACSI system (Terumo BCT). Leukoreduction via filtration is based on both barrier retention and adsorption of cells onto the membrane.77 Sen A, Khetarpal Sm A, Jetley S. Comparative study of predeposit and bedside leucodepletion filters. Med J Armed Forces India. 2010;66(2):142-6.

8 Meyer T, Zehnter I, Hofmann B, Zaisserer J, Burkhart J, Rapp S, et al. Filter Buffy Coats (FBC): a source of peripheral blood leukocytes recovered from leukocyte depletion filters. J Immunol Methods. 2005;307(1-2):150-66.
-99 Mönninghoff J, Moog R. Investigation of a new in-line leukocyte reduction filter for packed red blood cells. Transfus Apher Sci. 2012;46(3):253-6. Although commercially available LRFs vary in physical characteristics, all of them can trap leukocytes in their matrix using gravity flow.1010 Singh S, Kumar A. Leukocyte depletion for safe blood transfusion. Biotechnol J. 2009;4(8):1140-51.,1111 Wegehaupt AK, Roufs EK, Hewitt CR, Killian ML, Gorbatenko O, Anderson CM, et al. Recovery and assessment of leukocytes from LR Express filters. Biologicals. 2017;49:15-22. The LRF material is comprised of a novel polymer fiber with a membrane-like structure, including porous foam material or non-woven fibers or woven mesh-shaped fibers. Due to the different pore size of the polymer fiber, leukocytes are filtered by mechanical block and cell adsorption.1212 Fujii Y. The potential of the novel leukocyte removal filter in cardiopulmonary bypass. Expert Rev Med Devices. 2016;13(1):5-14.

13 Singh S, Kumar A. Leukocyte depletion for safe blood transfusion. Biotechnol J. 2009;4(August (8)):1140-51. PubMed PMID: 19418471. Epub 2009/05/07. eng.
-1414 Barbe L, Boval B, Wautier MP, Wautier JL. Human promyelocytic cell line: a convenient tool for studying the molecular basis of WBC filtration. Transfusion. 2000;40(October (10)):1250-6. PubMed PMID: 11061864. Epub 2000/11/03. eng. Concerning the mechanism of leukocyte removal, it has been proposed that the most important mechanism is the adhesion of leukocytes to the filtration material. The efficiency of filtration is dependent on different factors, such as the area of contact of the blood cells with the filtration material, the overall thickness of the foam material and the diameter of the fiber. Other factors are charge and hydrophilicity.1515 Hayashi H, Nishiuchi T, Tamura H, Takeda K. Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease caused by leukocyte-filtered stored blood. Anesthesiology. 1993;79(6):1419-21. PubMed PMID: 8267214. Epub 1993/12/01.eng.,1616 Akahoshi M, Takanashi M, Masuda M, Yamashita H, Hidano A, Hasegawa K, et al. A case of transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease not prevented by white cell-reduction filters. Transfusion. 1992;32(2):169-72. Previous studies have been introduced LRFs as an alternative source of viable and functional human cells,88 Meyer T, Zehnter I, Hofmann B, Zaisserer J, Burkhart J, Rapp S, et al. Filter Buffy Coats (FBC): a source of peripheral blood leukocytes recovered from leukocyte depletion filters. J Immunol Methods. 2005;307(1-2):150-66.,1717 Teleron AA, Carlson B, Young PP. Blood donor white blood cell reduction filters as a source of human peripheral blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells. Transfusion. 2005;45(1):21-5.,1818 Ebner S, Neyer S, Hofer S, Nussbaumer W, Romani N, Heufler C. Generation of large numbers of human dendritic cells from whole blood passaged through leukocyte removal filters: an alternative to standard buffy coats. J Immunol Methods. 2001;252(1-2):93-104. Traditionally, the most common source of human cells for laboratory usage has been the buffy coats. However, blood samples from healthy volunteers are limited in volume and difficult to obtain due to the complexity of volunteer recruitment. There are several advantages in using leukofilters. The first advantage is that it is easy to obtain LRFs from blood banks without the need to perform phlebotomy, as this had already been performed at the time of blood donation.

Figure 1
Overview of the new application of Leukocyte Reduction Filters (LRFs). Discarded LRFs are an economic source of viable functional cells and bioactive molecules that can play a role in basic research, animal models, cell therapy and tissue engineering.

Another benefit stems from the attainment of informed consent from blood donors, therefore making it possible to use blood cells for research without ethical barriers. A further advantage is the safety in obtaining cells due to the prescreening of blood donors for viral infections.1111 Wegehaupt AK, Roufs EK, Hewitt CR, Killian ML, Gorbatenko O, Anderson CM, et al. Recovery and assessment of leukocytes from LR Express filters. Biologicals. 2017;49:15-22. Indeed, the whole process, from the donor selection to the delivery of the LRFs to the researchers, is controlled by the blood bank. These filters are discarded after use and, being waste products, represent an available source of human cell populations that can be used for a variety of investigative purposes with no cost (Fig. 1). In the present study, we reviewed different usages of LRFs as an economic source of cells in research, clinical and commercial applications.

LRFs as a new source for research

Leukocytes are used for a variety of research purposes. In recent years, the demand for primary human cells has been increased. The gold standard to obtain these cells is leukapheresis.1818 Ebner S, Neyer S, Hofer S, Nussbaumer W, Romani N, Heufler C. Generation of large numbers of human dendritic cells from whole blood passaged through leukocyte removal filters: an alternative to standard buffy coats. J Immunol Methods. 2001;252(1-2):93-104.,1919 Weidinger TM, Keller AK, Weiss D, Zimmermann R, Eckstein R, Strasser EF. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from leukoreduction system chambers show better viability than those from leukapheresis. Transfusion. 2011;51(9):2047-9. However, the use of buffy coats or leukapheresis products for research purposes is highly expensive and is not available at every blood bank. Several groups have examined the phenotype and function of immune cells isolated from LRFs, compared to standard buffy coats. They observed that the percentages of T cells, B cells, monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs) were largely similar between peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from LRFs and buffy coats.88 Meyer T, Zehnter I, Hofmann B, Zaisserer J, Burkhart J, Rapp S, et al. Filter Buffy Coats (FBC): a source of peripheral blood leukocytes recovered from leukocyte depletion filters. J Immunol Methods. 2005;307(1-2):150-66.,1818 Ebner S, Neyer S, Hofer S, Nussbaumer W, Romani N, Heufler C. Generation of large numbers of human dendritic cells from whole blood passaged through leukocyte removal filters: an alternative to standard buffy coats. J Immunol Methods. 2001;252(1-2):93-104.,2020 Dietz AB, Bulur PA, Emery RL, Winters JL, Epps DE, Zubair AC, et al. A novel source of viable peripheral blood mononuclear cells from leukoreduction system chambers. Transfusion. 2006;46(12):2083-9.

The number of cells recovered from different LFRs is dependent on the volume of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) used to flush back them from the filter. In a study by Izquierdo et al.,2121 Izquierdo N, Naranjo M, Fernández M, Cos J, Massuet L, Martínez-Picado J, et al. Leukocyte Reduction Filters: an alternative source of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. Inmunología. 2003;22(3):255-62. blood bags from healthy donors were less than 24 h old when processed through an LRF by gravity flow at room temperature (22C). Cells were recovered from filters at high numbers (about 5 × 108 PBMCs), with a viability >95%, and the phenotypic and functional experiments confirmed that they were similar to those cells obtained from buffy coats. In a study by Peytour et al.,2222 Peytour Y, Guitart A, Villacreces A, Chevaleyre J, Lacombe F, Ivanovic Z, et al. Obtaining of CD34+ cells from healthy blood donors: development of a rapid and efficient procedure using leukoreduction filters. Transfusion. 2010;50(10):2152-7. discarded LRFs were processed through a rapid (<5 h) and easy 4-step procedure (WBC elution, platelet depletion, MNC separation and CD34+ cell selection) less than 24 h after blood donation. They obtained 0.4 ± 0.05 × 105 highly enriched CD34+ cells per LRF. The functional properties, such as cell cycle status, growth rate and myeloid differentiation in liquid culture, were rather similar to steady state peripheral blood (SSPB) and umbilical cord blood (CB) CD34+ cells. Ebner et al.,2323 Ebner S, Neyer S, Hofer S, Nussbaumer W, Romani N, Heufler C. Generation of large numbers of human dendritic cells from whole blood passaged through leukocyte removal filters: an alternative to standard buffy coats. J Immunol Methods. 2001;252(1-2):93-104. conducted a study to isolate CD14+ precursors from LRFs to generate DCs and compared them with isolated cells from buffy coats. They revealed that the yield of PBMCs obtained from LRFs is higher than that from buffy coats. The generated DCs had short culture and maturation periods, similar to the DCs obtained from the leukapheresis procedure. Thus, they concluded that LRFs have the potential to become a standard procedure for preparation of large quantities of DCs. Weidinger et al.,1919 Weidinger TM, Keller AK, Weiss D, Zimmermann R, Eckstein R, Strasser EF. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from leukoreduction system chambers show better viability than those from leukapheresis. Transfusion. 2011;51(9):2047-9. showed that PBMCs obtained from LRFs have a lower fraction of apoptotic and necrotic cells than PBMCs from leukapheresis. Furthermore, in a study by Pfeiffer et al.,2424 Pfeiffer IA, Zinser E, Strasser E, Stein MF, Dörrie J, Schaft N, et al. Leukoreduction system chambers are an efficient, valid, and economic source of functional monocyte-derived dendritic cells and lymphocytes. Immunobiology. 2013;218(11):1392-401. PBMCs and especially high-quality monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) were generated from LRFs, comparable to those derived from leukapheresis products or whole blood. Néron et al.,2525 Néron S, Dussault N, Racine C. Whole-blood leukoreduction filters are a source for cryopreserved cells for phenotypic and functional investigations on peripheral blood lymphocytes. Transfusion. 2006;46(4):537-44. demonstrated that cells recovered from WBF2 filters represent a good source of viable PBMCs because each unit can provide 2 × 108 to 3 × 108 PBMCs that can be used to prepare cryopreserved samples for phenotypic and functional investigations. Recently, we performed a study2626 Ferdowsi S, Pourfathollah AA. Leukocyte reduction filters: A source of peripheral blood leukocytes for research and drug production. Glob J Transfus Med. 2019;4:122-3. on the isolation of cells from Leukoflex LST-1 filters and approximately, 4.4 × 108 leukocytes (mononuclear cells + granulocytes) were obtained from each filter. Teleron et al.,1717 Teleron AA, Carlson B, Young PP. Blood donor white blood cell reduction filters as a source of human peripheral blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells. Transfusion. 2005;45(1):21-5. designed a study to evaluate the capacity of LRFs as a source of peripheral blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). They displayed that the mean yield of EPCs from one LRF is 14-fold higher than that from fresh blood, probably due to the greater numbers of PBMCs obtained from each LRF. Accordingly, they concluded that LRFs can provide a safe and cheap source of EPCs.

Another application of LRFs is using them in genetic analysis. Cook et al.,2727 Cook MA, Jobson SE, Atkinson DC, Lowe DP, Farmer SL, Alvi-Ali WJ, et al. Used leucodepletion filters as a source of large quantities of DNA suitable for the study of genetic variations in human populations. Transfus Med. 2003;13(2):77-81. reported that the LRF is a source of large quantities of DNA for the study of genetic variations in human populations. A mean of 1520 µg (ranging from 450 to 3750 µg) of DNA per sample was obtained. Also, they indicated that the LRF-recovered DNA remains suitable for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing methods after 2 years of storage at -40C to 4C. They concluded that this procedure allows for the attainment of sufficient quantities of genomic DNA for many experiments. However, these genetic experiments require the specific consent of the donor and ethical approval.

LRFs as a new source for cell therapy

Peytour et al2222 Peytour Y, Guitart A, Villacreces A, Chevaleyre J, Lacombe F, Ivanovic Z, et al. Obtaining of CD34+ cells from healthy blood donors: development of a rapid and efficient procedure using leukoreduction filters. Transfusion. 2010;50(10):2152-7. introduced a procedure to obtain 0.4 ± 0.05 × 105 highly enriched CD34+ cells per LRF. They showed that CD34+ cells trapped in filters are functionally similar to those harvested from other sources, such as bone marrow (BM), cord blood or peripheral blood. Therefore, LRFs can be an alternative source of stem cells for hematopoietic transplantation. Ivanovic et al2828 Ivanovic Z, Duchez P, Morgan DA, Hermitte F, Lafarge X, Chevaleyre J, et al. Whole-blood leukodepletion filters as a source of CD34+ progenitors potentially usable in cell therapy. Transfusion. 2006;46(1):118-25. conducted a study to investigate the viability and the functional properties of mononuclear cells (MNCs) and CD34+ cells recovered from LRFs. The results displayed that the functionality of LRF-recovered CD34+ cells was well preserved with a significant ability of ex vivo expansion. They also confirmed the ability of these cells to differentiate into erythroid, megakaryocytic, and myelomonocytic lineages, upon the addition of certain cytokines in their liquid cultures. The problem of the relatively low amount of CD34+ cells in each LRF can be resolved by pooling cells recovered from several LRFs utilized for a continuous donor. Hence, LRF-recovered CD34+ cells can be applied to clinical procedures to generate mature ex vivo cells. Some studies disclosed that peripheral blood MNCs can differentiate into the CD34+ progenitors and they may differentiate into the various non-hematopoietic cell lineages.2929 Abuljadayel IS. Induction of stem cell-like plasticity in mononuclear cells derived from unmobilised adult human peripheral blood. Curr Med Res Opin. 2003;19(5):355-75.,3030 Abuljadayel IS, Afghan RK, McCaffrey TA, Lundergan C, Hawley TS, Hawley RG, et al. SCID repopulating cells derived from unmobilised adult human peripheral blood. Curr Med Res Opin. 2004;20(1):87-100. Therefore, it is possible that LRF-recovered MNCs become a main source of cells for cell-based regenerative therapy in future. In addition, it is suggested that LRF CD34+ cells are good candidates for cell/tissue engineering, such as cardiac cell therapy,3131 Losordo DW, Henry TD, Davidson C, Sup Lee J, Costa MA, Bass T, et al. Intramyocardial, autologous CD34+ cell therapy for refractory angina. Circ Res. 2011;109(4):428-36.,3232 Peytour Y, Villacreces A, Chevaleyre J, Ivanovic Z, Praloran V. Discarded leukoreduction filters: a new source of stem cells for research, cell engineering and therapy? Stem Cell Res. 2013;11(2):736-42. and the attainment of pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).3333 Chou B-K, Mali P, Huang X, Ye Z, Dowey SN, Resar LM, et al. Efficient human iPS cell derivation by a non-integrating plasmid from blood cells with unique epigenetic and gene expression signatures. Cell Res. 2011;21(3):518.

The PBMNs are frequently used for the DC culture in adoptive immunotherapies. Today the gold standard to obtain monocytes for DC therapies is leukapheresis. In a study by Izquierdo et al.,2121 Izquierdo N, Naranjo M, Fernández M, Cos J, Massuet L, Martínez-Picado J, et al. Leukocyte Reduction Filters: an alternative source of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. Inmunología. 2003;22(3):255-62. monocytes recovered from WBF3 filters differentiated into in vitro DCs. The main feature of these cells is the capacity to stimulate native T cells and initiate primary immune responses.3434 Steinman RM. Dendritic cells and the control of immunity: enhancing the efficiency of antigen presentation. Mt Sinai J Med. 2001;68(3):160-6. This characteristic has led to the use of DCs in cancer immunotherapy.3535 Nencioni A, Grünebach F, Schmidt SM, Müller MR, Boy D, Patrone F, et al. The use of dendritic cells in cancer immunotherapy. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2008;65(3): 191-9.,3636 Banchereau J, Palucka AK. Dendritic cells as therapeutic vaccines against cancer. Nat Rev Immunol. 2005;5(4):296.

LRFs as a new source for drug production

Human a-defensins, also called human neutrophil peptides 1-3 (HNP 1-3), are cationic antimicrobial peptides with three disulfide bridges.3737 Ganz T. Defensins: antimicrobial peptides of innate immunity. Nat Rev Immunol. 2003;3(9):710.

38 Selsted ME, Ouellette AJ. Mammalian defensins in the antimicrobial immune response. Nat Immunol. 2005;6(6):551-7.

39 Niyonsaba F, Nagaoka I, Ogawa H. Human defensins and cathelicidins in the skin: beyond direct antimicrobial properties. Crit Rev Immunol. 2006;26(6):545-76.
-4040 Rehaume LM, Hancock RE. Neutrophil-derived defensins as modulators of innate immune function. Crit Rev Immunol. 2008;28(3):185-200. These peptides are effector molecules of the innate immunity. They also show chemotactic activity for monocytes and T cells. Defensins are mainly produced by neutrophils, but their production by other leukocytes, such as NK cells, B cells, T cells, monocytes and macrophages, has been reported.4141 Rodríguez-García M, Oliva H, Climent N, García F, Gatell JM, Gallart T. Human immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells produce and secrete a-defensins 1-3. J Leukoc Biol. 2007;82(5):1143-6.

42 Mackewicz CE, Yuan J, Tran P, Diaz L, Mack E, Selsted ME, et al. a-Defensins can have anti-HIV activity but are not CD8 cell anti-HIV factors. Aids. 2003;17(14):F23-32.
-4343 Klotman ME, Chang TL. Defensins in innate antiviral immunity. Nat Rev Immunol. 2006;6(6):447-56. Previous studies have also demonstrated that defensins display anticancer activity.4444 Lichtenstein A, Ganz T, Selsted ME, Lehrer RI. In vitro tumor cell cytolysis mediated by peptide defensins of human and rabbit granulocytes. Blood. 1986;68(6):1407-10.

45 Lichtenstein A, Ganz T, Nguyen T, Selsted M, Lehrer R. Mechanism of target cytolysis by peptide defensins. Target cell metabolic activities, possibly involving endocytosis, are crucial for expression of cytotoxicity. J Immunol. 1988;140(8):2686-94.
-4646 McKeown ST, Lundy FT, Nelson J, Lockhart D, Irwin CR, Cowan CG, et al. The cytotoxic effects of human neutrophil peptide-1 (HNP1) and lactoferrin on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in vitro. Oral oncology. 2006;42(7):685-90. Synthesis of a-defensins using chemical and recombinant approaches is challenging due to the essential role of the disulfide bonds for its function. Recently LRFs have been introduced as a major production source for natural defensins.2626 Ferdowsi S, Pourfathollah AA. Leukocyte reduction filters: A source of peripheral blood leukocytes for research and drug production. Glob J Transfus Med. 2019;4:122-3.,4747 Vossier L, Leon F, Bachelier C, Marchandin H, Lehmann S, Leonetti JP, et al. An innovative biologic recycling process of leukoreduction filters to produce active human antimicrobial peptides. Transfusion. 2014;54(5):1332-9. We performed a study4848 Ferdowsi S, Pourfathollah AA, Amiri F, Rafiee MH, Aghaei A. Evaluation of anticancer activity of alpha-defensins purified from neutrophils trapped in leukoreduction filters. Life Sci. 2019 May;1(224):249-54. PubMed PMID: 30935951. Epub 2019/04/03. eng. at the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) and found that a-defensins purified from neutrophils trapped in LST-1 filters have anticancer activity that can be used for clinical applications in the future. Vossier L et al4949 Vossier L, Leon F, Bachelier C, Marchandin H, Lehmann S, Leonetti JP, et al. An innovative biologic recycling process of leukoreduction filters to produce active human antimicrobial peptides. Transfusion. 2014;5(54), 1332-9. have also found that human defensins extracted from LRFs have high antimicrobial activity with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 0.12 and 1 µg/mL. In addition, other polypeptides with antimicrobial activity have been found in neutrophils, such as calprotectin and LL-37,5050 Cederlund A, Agerberth B, Bergman P. Specificity in killing pathogens is mediated by distinct repertoires of human neutrophil peptides. J Innate Immun. 2010;2(6):508-21. that can be extracted from the neutrophils trapped in leukofilters.

LRFs as an alternative to animal models

The preclinical studies for drug screening involve the use of animals, which is expensive and leads to the suffering of these animals. A number of alternative systems have been developed for use in research, such as tissue culture, stem cells, microbiological systems, DNA chips and computer analysis models. The benefits of these alternatives include the decrease in the number of animals used, reduction in the costs and control of the variables of the experiment.5151 Gallup GG Jr, Suarez SD. Alternatives to the use of animals in psychological research. Am Psychol. 1985;40(October (10)):1104-11. PubMed PMID: 3907439. Epub 1985/10/01. eng.,5252 Richmond J. Refinement, reduction, and replacement of animal use for regulatory testing: future improvements and implementation within the regulatory framework. Ilar j. 2002;43 Suppl:S63-8. PubMed PMID: 12388854. Epub 2002/10/22. eng. In addition, it is reported that mouse models may poorly mimic human disorders, such as inflammatory disease.5353 Seok J, Warren HS, Cuenca AG, Mindrinos MN, Baker HV, Xu W, et al. Genomic responses in mouse models poorly mimic human inflammatory diseases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110(9):3507-12.,5454 Leist M, Hartung T. Inflammatory findings on species extrapolations: humans are definitely no 70-kg mice. Arch Toxicol. 2013;87(4):563-7. The LRFs can be used as a culture medium with a valuable source of primary human cells. Therefore, it can be used as an alternative to animal models.

Conclusion

Until recently, only a little attention has been paid to the discarding cells present in leukofilters. A variety of viable and functional leukocytes are recoverable from blood filters. These filters are easy to obtain from blood transfusion centers, without the need to perform venipuncture for experimental purposes. This entails simpler handling, when compared with whole blood or leukapheresis, and generates a high yield of functional active cells. Hence, for economic, ethical and practical reasons LRFs represent a major alternative to human cells. This article provides an overview of the applications of LRFs. Moreover, filters can be used for other applications, such as the induction of cytokine release from cultured human leukocytes.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the blood transfusion research center, the High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.

REFERENCES

  • 1
    Roback J, Combs M, Grossman B, Hillyer C. American association of blood banks technical manual, 376. Bethesda, MD: American Association of Blood Banks; 2008. p. 471.
  • 2
    Sharma R, Marwaha N. Leukoreduced blood components: advantages and strategies for its implementation in developing countries. Asian J Transfus Sci. 2010;4(1):3-8.
  • 3
    Fergusson D, Khanna MP, Tinmouth A, Hébert PC. Transfusion of leukoreduced red blood cells may decrease postoperative infections: two meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Can J Anaesth. 2004;51(5):417-24.
  • 4
    Blumberg N, Zhao H, Wang H, Messing S, Heal JM, Lyman GH. The intention-to-treat principle in clinical trials and meta-analyses of leukoreduced blood transfusions in surgical patients. Transfusion. 2007;47(4):573-81.
  • 5
    Pennington J, Taylor GP, Sutherland J, Davis RE, Seghatchian J, Allain J-P, et al. Persistence of HTLV-I in blood components after leukocyte depletion. Blood. 2002;100(2):677-81.
  • 6
    Rapaille A, Moore G, Siquet J, Flament J, Sondag-Thull D. Prestorage leukocyte reduction with in-line filtration of whole blood: evaluation of red cells and plasma storage. Vox Sang. 1997;73(1):28-35.
  • 7
    Sen A, Khetarpal Sm A, Jetley S. Comparative study of predeposit and bedside leucodepletion filters. Med J Armed Forces India. 2010;66(2):142-6.
  • 8
    Meyer T, Zehnter I, Hofmann B, Zaisserer J, Burkhart J, Rapp S, et al. Filter Buffy Coats (FBC): a source of peripheral blood leukocytes recovered from leukocyte depletion filters. J Immunol Methods. 2005;307(1-2):150-66.
  • 9
    Mönninghoff J, Moog R. Investigation of a new in-line leukocyte reduction filter for packed red blood cells. Transfus Apher Sci. 2012;46(3):253-6.
  • 10
    Singh S, Kumar A. Leukocyte depletion for safe blood transfusion. Biotechnol J. 2009;4(8):1140-51.
  • 11
    Wegehaupt AK, Roufs EK, Hewitt CR, Killian ML, Gorbatenko O, Anderson CM, et al. Recovery and assessment of leukocytes from LR Express filters. Biologicals. 2017;49:15-22.
  • 12
    Fujii Y. The potential of the novel leukocyte removal filter in cardiopulmonary bypass. Expert Rev Med Devices. 2016;13(1):5-14.
  • 13
    Singh S, Kumar A. Leukocyte depletion for safe blood transfusion. Biotechnol J. 2009;4(August (8)):1140-51. PubMed PMID: 19418471. Epub 2009/05/07. eng.
  • 14
    Barbe L, Boval B, Wautier MP, Wautier JL. Human promyelocytic cell line: a convenient tool for studying the molecular basis of WBC filtration. Transfusion. 2000;40(October (10)):1250-6. PubMed PMID: 11061864. Epub 2000/11/03. eng.
  • 15
    Hayashi H, Nishiuchi T, Tamura H, Takeda K. Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease caused by leukocyte-filtered stored blood. Anesthesiology. 1993;79(6):1419-21. PubMed PMID: 8267214. Epub 1993/12/01.eng.
  • 16
    Akahoshi M, Takanashi M, Masuda M, Yamashita H, Hidano A, Hasegawa K, et al. A case of transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease not prevented by white cell-reduction filters. Transfusion. 1992;32(2):169-72.
  • 17
    Teleron AA, Carlson B, Young PP. Blood donor white blood cell reduction filters as a source of human peripheral blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells. Transfusion. 2005;45(1):21-5.
  • 18
    Ebner S, Neyer S, Hofer S, Nussbaumer W, Romani N, Heufler C. Generation of large numbers of human dendritic cells from whole blood passaged through leukocyte removal filters: an alternative to standard buffy coats. J Immunol Methods. 2001;252(1-2):93-104.
  • 19
    Weidinger TM, Keller AK, Weiss D, Zimmermann R, Eckstein R, Strasser EF. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from leukoreduction system chambers show better viability than those from leukapheresis. Transfusion. 2011;51(9):2047-9.
  • 20
    Dietz AB, Bulur PA, Emery RL, Winters JL, Epps DE, Zubair AC, et al. A novel source of viable peripheral blood mononuclear cells from leukoreduction system chambers. Transfusion. 2006;46(12):2083-9.
  • 21
    Izquierdo N, Naranjo M, Fernández M, Cos J, Massuet L, Martínez-Picado J, et al. Leukocyte Reduction Filters: an alternative source of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. Inmunología. 2003;22(3):255-62.
  • 22
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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    29 Nov 2021
  • Date of issue
    2021

History

  • Received
    19 May 2020
  • Accepted
    01 Oct 2020
  • Published
    24 Dec 2020
Associação Brasileira de Hematologia, Hemoterapia e Terapia Celular (ABHH) R. Dr. Diogo de Faria, 775 cj 133, 04037-002, São Paulo / SP - Brasil - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: htct@abhh.org.br