Comparison of autologous cell therapy and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) injection vs. G-CSF injection alone for the treatment of acute radiation syndrome in a non-human primate model.

Abstract

To compare the efficacy of autologous cell therapy after irradiation combined with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) injections with G-CSF treatment alone in a heterogeneous model of irradiation representative of an accidental situation. Non-human primates were irradiated at 8.7 Gy whole-body dose with the right arm shielded to receive 4.8 Gy. The first group of animals received G-CSF (lenograstim) injections starting 6 h after irradiation, and a second group received a combination of G-CSF (lenograstim) injections and autologous expanded hematopoietic cells. Animals were followed up for blood cell counts, circulating progenitors, and bone marrow cellularity. No significant differences were seen between the two treatment groups, whatever the parameter observed: time to leukocyte or platelet recovery and duration and severity of aplasia. Our results indicated that identical recovery kinetic was observed when irradiated animals are treated with G-CSF independently of the reinjection of ex vivo expanded autologous hematopoietic cells. Thus G-CSF injections might be chosen as a first-line therapeutic strategy in the treatment of accidental acute radiation victims.