Generation of dendritic cells from human cord blood

Objective: To investigate the culture and proliferation of dendritic cells derived from cord blood in vitro. Methods: The mononuclear cells were prepared from cord blood with Ficoll-hypaque centrifugation method, then induced with the recombinant cytokines hGM-CSF(50 ng/ml) ,hIL-4(10 ng/ml) and hTNF-α(50 ng/ml)for two weeks. We observed the DCs growth and determined DCs phenotypes by flow cytometry. Results: The dendritic cells culturedin vitro turned into suspensive growth from adhesive situation at 4d, along with the incubation, the number of DCs increased and the cells showed the irregular morphologic appearance of DCs with veiled edges in the 8th day. The mature DCs could express the relatively specific marker such as co-stimulatory molecules CD80, adhesion molecule CD54 and MHC-Ⅱmolecule HLA-DR. Conclusion: The dendritic cells can be induced from human cord blood that is co-incubated with hGM-CSF, hIL-4 and hTNF-α in vitro. The investigation establishes a foundation for furthur research and clinical use of DCs.