Cord and peripheral blood mononuclear cell analysis by scanning electron microscopy and flow cytometry

Abstract

Background: Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic cells, which vary in phenotypic expressions from that of adult
peripheral blood. Our study focused on differences in fresh and fixed cell populations isolated from umbilical cord and adult peripheral blood using flow cytometric analysis and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Methods: Adult peripheral blood (PB) and cord blood (CB) was collected from individuals from Kolkata. Our study emphasised on the
differences in fresh and fixed cord and peripheral blood samples through forward and side scattering of flow cytometer and without any surface antigens. We also studied the morphological variations of both the cord and peripheral MNC using SEM images.
Results: The flow cytometric analysis of whole cord blood and isolated cord MNC showed significant differences in counts when
compared to adults in both fresh and fixed samples. Our SEM images indicated similar morphological features in cord leucocytes when compared to adult leucocytes. It was also observed presence of reticulocytes in SEM analysis only in cord MNC as compared to adult.
Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of flow cytometry for analysing cellular populations in cord and adult peripheral blood, without requiring antigen markers. Additionally, our SEM analysis provides some insights on the morphology of mononuclear cells from CB and PB sources, enhancing our understanding of normal cellular dynamics in the regenerative medicine domain.