Thrombopoiesis and megakaryocyte colony stimulating factor in the urine of patients with aplastic anaemia.

The urinary extracts from patients with aplastic anaemia and from healthy donors were investigated in vivo and in vitro for their ability to stimulate megakaryopoiesis and platelet production. There was a significantly higher concentration of thrombopoiesis stimulating factor (TSF) and megakaryocyte colony stimulating factor (MEG-CSF) in the urine from patients with aplastic anaemia than in that from healthy donors. Neuraminidase treatment did not affect the thrombopoietic activity of TSF, whereas coexisting erythropoietin (EPO) in the extract lost in its activity in vivo. These findings suggest that TSF and/or MEG-CSF seems to be different from EPO and that the urine from aplastic anaemia patients would be a good source of TSF and MEG-CSF for purification and characterization.

PMID: 6968585 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]