The use of recombinant cytokines for enhancing immunohematopoietic reconstitution following bone marrow transplantation. I. Effects of in vitro culturing with IL-3 and GM-CSF on human and mouse bone marrow cells purged with mafosfamide (ASTA-Z).

Enhanced colony formation (CFU-GM) in vitro was observed in murine and human bone marrow (BM) cells following pre-incubation for 2-3 days with recombinant murine GM-CSF or natural purified murine IL-3, and recombinant human GM-CSF or IL-3, respectively. Pre-incubation in the presence of both GM-CSF and IL-3 produced additive stimulatory effects. BM cells previously treated in vitro with mafosfamide (ASTA-Z) under conditions identical to those used in the purging of autologous BM grafts, also demonstrated an enhanced cumulative response to combinations of GM-CSF and IL-3, with up to 100-fold increase in CFU-GM as compared with controls (p less than 0.