Mononuclear cell isolation from blood samples
Blood samples were collected into anticoagulated tubes. Mononuclear
cells were isolated by density centrifugation using Lymphoprep (Stemcell
Technologies, Seattle, WA, USA). PBMCs were washed with RPMI-1640 medium
(Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) and used either directly or
cryopreserved in fetal bovine serum containing 10% DMSO
(Sigma-Aldrich). After thawing, cells were washed with RPMI and
re-suspended in enriched media.