In vitro culture of acute myelogenous leukemia blasts: A comparison of four different culture media

Proliferative responses and cytokine secretion were compared when AML blasts were cultured in the three serum-free media, X-Vivo 10(R), X-Vivo 15(R), and defined serum-free medium (IMDM with mercaptoethanol, low-density lipoprotein, albumin, and transferrin) and in media containing 10% inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), The following AML blast functions were investigated: (a) constitutive cytokine secretion, (b) autonomous and cytokine-dependent proliferation, and (c) accessory cell function during T cell activation, Constitutive cytokine secretion and accessory cell function differed markedly when using different culture media. For the constitutive AML blast secretion of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, no qualitative differences were seen, but quantitative differences were observed with decreased cytokine levels for cells cultured in X-Vivo 10(R) and X-Vivo(R). The accessory cell function of AML blasts was also decreased in the X-Vivo media, whereas differences were less pronounced when comparing AML blast proliferation. Our results clearly demonstrate that a well-characterized culture system is essential for in vitro studies of AML blast functions.