Immunophenotypic Profile of Normal Hematopoietic Populations in Human Bone Marrow: Influence of Gender and Aging as a Basis for Reference Value Establishment.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate normal values of healthy human bone marrow ( = 56) and identify gender- and age-related variations using cell lineage markers and maturational curves. Using 10-color quantitative flow cytometry, various cell types were identified, including B cells, T cells, NK cells, granulocytes, monocytes, erythroblasts, plasma cells, basophils, mast cells, and dendritic cells. Results revealed significant age-related declines in the absolute counts of nucleated cells ( = 0.001), including CD34+ immature B cells ( = 0.006) and CD34- immature B cells ( = 0.004). Declines were also observed for T cells ( = 0.002), cytotoxic T cells ( < 0.001), double-negative T cells ( = 0.0001), NK cells ( = 0.007), CD16- NK cells ( < 0.001), metamyelocytes ( = 0.002), neutrophils ( = 0.001), basophils ( = 0.009), promonocytes ( = 0.001), mature monocytes ( = 0.007), and plasmacytoid dendritic cells ( = 0.001). Gender differences showed males had more intermediate monocytes ( = 0.009) compared to females. In summary, this study provides normal values for hematopoietic cells, highlighting age- and gender-related disparities critical for understanding hematopoietic dynamics.