Study of plasma-induced peripheral blood mononuclear cells survival using Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy

Components present in the acellular fraction of blood influence the blood cell survival and function and the response to biotic and abiotic factors. Human plasma and sera have been used as therapeutic agents and are known to increase cell survival. White blood cells in normal blood are exposed to plasma components in vivo, but the effect of such plasma components in vitro on adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) that includes monocytes has not been fully investigated. We cultured human PBMCs with autologous plasma and observed structural variation due to plasma addition in PBMCs along with increased cell survival. Light microscopy of the cells showed increased granularity in plasma-treated cells. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to elucidate the possible mechanism by studying the changes in the biochemical composition of the cells that explained the observations. FTIR spectroscopy of plasma-treated cells show altered spectral pattern in the mid-IR region, indicating increased phospholipid levels. Heat-stable components in the plasma possibly increase the differentiation of PBMCs, as evident by increased phospholipid metabolism. The data suggest that plasma-stimulated membrane biogenesis may contribute to PBMC survival by inducing them to differentiate into antigen presenting cells (APCs) like macrophages and dendritic cells.