Factors Affecting Human Umbilical Cord Blood Quality Before Cryopreservation: The Importance of Birth Weight and Gestational Age

Abstract

Background: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells and is useful for the treatment of blood diseases. The cost of UCB storage is high; thus, it is necessary to evaluate the quality of UCB before collection and cryopreservation. Aim: This study aimed to determine the maternal and neonatal factors that influence UCB before selection for cryopreservation. Materials and Methods: The analysis included 403 processed UCB units. The effects of maternal characteristics including maternal age and delivery method and neonatal factors such as birth weight, gestation duration, and sex on UCB quality were determined based on the collected blood volume, total nucleated cell (TNC) count, and CD34⁺ cell count. Results: The neonatal birth weight influenced the collected blood volume, TNC count, and CD34⁺ cell count. Neonates with higher birth weights produced better quality UCB units because of increased collected blood volumes, TNC counts, and CD34⁺ cell counts. However, an increase in the gestational age from 35 to 41 weeks led to decreases in the collected blood volume and CD34⁺ cell count. Conclusion: These data may be useful for determining the optimal cord blood units for collection and cryopreservation and for advising pregnant women using private banking services.

Keywords: CD34+ cell count; TNC count; maternal factors; neonatal factors; umbilical cord blood.