The Effect of Caffeine Intake and Passive Smoking on Umbilical Cord Blood Unit’s Quality Parameters

Today cord blood (CB) is a valuable source of hematopoietic stem cells to treat many hematological disorders. One of the limitations of CB utilization is the reduced number of nucleated cells including stem cells. Therefore, CB banks around the world have developed strategies in an attempt to improve donor selection and the quality of the CB inventory. This study aimed to determine the impact of passive smoking and caffeine consumption on CB quality. CBs were obtained from mothers who gave birth at King Abdulaziz Medical City. All mothers gave their informed consent. Personal interviews about the mother's demographics, smoking status and exposure, and caffeine consumption executed, followed by a chart review to analyze maternal and neonatal factors. Laboratory testing was performed on all collected CB units. Using descriptive statistics, maternal and newborn factors were analyzed. T-test or Mann–Whitney U Test, as appropriate, for continuous variables analysis to study the effect of second hand smoking and coffee consumption for the primary outcome. Our study demonstrated a reduction in CB MNC, including lymphocytes, in caffeine consumers among pregnant donors, as well as a reduction in cell potency activities, including total CFU and BFU-E. The effect of passive cigarette smoking on the same cohort was insignificant. Outcome of this study will help in optimizing the quality and quantity of stem cell harvesting from CB to get the maximum benefit and such knowledge will raise the awareness among pregnant women.