Canine long-term bone marrow culture neutrophil production and functionality.

This in vitro study has been conducted to determine the optimal experimental conditions under which to produce canine neutrophils in long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC), establish functional parameters of neutrophils obtained from LTBMC and peripheral blood and to ascertain whether these cells display physiological similarities. Our aim is to provide an experimental model, enabling a correlation between hemopoietic injury and neutrophil functionality. The authors demonstrate for the first time that canine neutrophils grown in cultures are able to produce oxyradicals capable of killing bacterial products. Moreover, culture-grown neutrophils contain gelatinase granules, a marker of terminal neutrophil differentiation, and express a specific surface antigen. The results described in this article illustrate the development of a dynamic system that mimics physiological hemopoiesis.