A qualitative and quantitative analysis of autologous human multipotent adult stem cells derived from three anatomic areas by marrow aspiration: tibia, anterior ilium, and posterior ilium.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article was to compare the yields of stromal multipotent stem cells (CD34+ and CD105+) and hematopoetic multipotent stem cells (CD44+) obtained from different areas via bone marrow aspiration (BMA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty 60-mL bone marrow aspirates were taken from the tibial plateau, the anterior ilium, and the posterior ilium using a single point-of-care BMA technique and a single BMA concentration (BMAC) device. A 1-mL portion of each sample was used to determine CD stem cell concentrations and the nucleated cell count. The remaining BMA was centrifuged to separate the more mature red blood cell precursors from the stem cells and then concentrate the latter into a BMAC. The BMAC yield of 10 mL was analyzed with flow cytometry and nucleated cell counts to derive a concentration factor for the BMAC. RESULTS: The yield of total nucleated cells was equal between the anterior and posterior ilium and more than twice that obtained from the tibial plateau. The CD44+ and CD105+ cell yields were also nearly equal between the anterior and posterior ilium but more than twice that of the tibial plateau; however, the ratios between the three different stem cell types in BMAC obtained from the different areas suggest varying potentials for tissue development. CONCLUSIONS: The ilium is the preferred donor site for obtaining autologous stem cells at the point of care. The tibial plateau yielded only half as much bone marrow multipotent/progenitor stem cells as did the anterior and posterior ilium. The composition of the BMAC from each site suggests that the potential for differentiation into various cell types changes depending on the source of bone marrow, but that BMAC represents 6.5 ± 1.0 concentration factor from BMA.