• Evaluation of CD34+ Cell Count at Different Time Points following Plerixafor Administration in Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Leila Noorazar,1 Mojtaba Shafiei,2 Majid Gholizadeh,3 Sayeh Parkhideh,4,*
    1. Hematopoietic stem cell research center, shahid beheshti university of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran
    2. Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Medicine, hematology and blood banking Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, IR
    3. Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences Tehran, IR
    4. Hematopoietic stem cell research center, shahid beheshti university of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: Introduction: In apheresis, collecting an adequate number of CD34+ cells is required for successful autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) procedure. It is difficult to harvest a sufficient number of stem cells in certain patients due to their old age and history of intensive chemotherapy. Plerixafor could mobilize stem cells and facilitate peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell collection. However, not enough information is available at the appropriate time intervals from plerixafor administration to apheresis.
  • Methods: Methods: Circulating CD34+ cells were enumerated by flowcytometry on day 4 post mobilization. Plerixafor was administered to patients with poor mobilization based on the count of peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells. The number of circulating CD34+ cells was evaluated before and 3, 6, 9, and 12 hours after plerixafor administration to assess the time it takes for stem cells to reach their peak level.
  • Results: Results: The highest level of stem cell concentration was found in 9 h after plerixafor administration with an increasing trend. A statistically significant relationship was also observed between factors including platelet count on the first day of GCSF injection and the day of stem cell infusion, leukocyte count on admission, and basal levels of CD34+ cells in peripheral blood and the amount of harvested stem cells.
  • Conclusion: Conclusion: We demonstrated that plerixafor causes an incremental trend in CD34+ cells mobilization, reaching its peak after 9 hours. Further research should be performed to provide insights into graft cells’ population and hematologic and immunological recovery.
  • Keywords: Apheresis, CD34+ cells, Mobilization, Plerixafor