scholarly journals Are Endothelial Progenitor Cells the Real Solution for Cardiovascular Diseases? Focus on Controversies and Perspectives

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmela R. Balistreri ◽  
Silvio Buffa ◽  
Calogera Pisano ◽  
Domenico Lio ◽  
Giovanni Ruvolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor Cells ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Therapeutic Agents ◽  
Stem Cell Biology ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor ◽  
The Real ◽  
Large Heterogeneity ◽  
Advanced Knowledge

Advanced knowledge in the field of stem cell biology and their ability to provide a cue for counteracting several diseases are leading numerous researchers to focus their attention on “regenerative medicine” as possible solutions for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the lack of consistent evidence in this arena has hampered the clinical application. The same condition affects the research on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), creating more confusion than comprehension. In this review, this aspect is discussed with particular emphasis. In particular, we describe biology and physiology of EPCs, outline their clinical relevance as both new predictive, diagnostic, and prognostic CVD biomarkers and therapeutic agents, discuss advantages, disadvantages, and conflicting data about their use as possible solutions for vascular impairment and clinical applications, and finally underline a very crucial aspect of EPCs “characterization and definition,” which seems to be the real cause of large heterogeneity existing in literature data on this topic.

scholarly journals Endothelial progenitor cells participation in cardiovascular and kidney diseases: a systematic review

2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanta Kiewisz ◽  
Monika M. Kaczmarek ◽  
Anna Pawlowska ◽  
Zbigniew Kmiec ◽  
Tomasz Stompor
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor Cells ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Kidney Diseases ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor ◽  
Abundant Evidence ◽  
Macrophage Lineage

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) represent a small population of blood cells (5-40 cells/mm3), with an ability to differentiate into endothelial cells that form the lining of the blood vessels and contribute to postnatal angiogenesis. Abundant evidence shows that recruitment of EPCs from the bone marrow, the monocyte/macrophage lineage and the organs facilitate the endothelial regeneration and repair. Changes in the number of EPCs were observed in both, chronic kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, these cells were tested for usage in diagnosis and therapy. In this paper, we review the current knowledge on the EPC biology and contribution of these cells to the kidney and cardiovascular diseases.

scholarly journals Effects of androgens on endothelial progenitor cells in vitro and in vivo

2009 ◽  
Vol 117 (10) ◽  
pp. 355-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Paolo Fadini ◽  
Mattia Albiero ◽  
Andrea Cignarella ◽  
Chiara Bolego ◽  
Christian Pinna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor Cells ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor Cell ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Progenitor Cell ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor ◽  
Healthy Human

The beneficial or detrimental effects of androgens on the cardiovascular system are debated. Endothelial progenitor cells are bone-marrow-derived cells involved in endothelial healing and angiogenesis, which promote cardiovascular health. Oestrogens are potent stimulators of endothelial progenitor cells, and previous findings have indicated that androgens may improve the biology of these cells as well. In the present study, we show that testosterone and its active metabolite dihydrotestosterone exert no effects on the expansion and function of late endothelial progenitors isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy human adult males, whereas they positively modulate early ‘monocytic’ endothelial progenitor cells. In parallel, we show that castration in rats is followed by a decrease in circulating endothelial progenitor cells, but that testosterone and dihydrotestosterone replacement fails to restore endothelial progenitor cells towards normal levels. This is associated with persistently low oestrogen levels after androgen replacement in castrated rats. In a sample of 62 healthy middle-aged men, we show that circulating endothelial progenitor cell levels are more directly associated with oestradiol, rather than with testosterone, concentrations. In conclusion, our results collectively demonstrate that androgens exert no direct effects on endothelial progenitor cell biology in vitro and in vivo.

scholarly journals Exposure of Human Endothelial Progenitors to Sevoflurane Improves Their Survival Abilities

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-186
Author(s):  
Adelina Munteanu ◽  
Marilena Gilca ◽  
Gheorghita Isvoranu ◽  
Mihaela Surcel ◽  
Laura Ceafalan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor Cells ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Gradient Centrifugation ◽  
Human Umbilical Cord Blood ◽  
Tetrazolium Salt ◽  
Human Umbilical Cord ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor ◽  
Post Exposure

Abstract Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have prominent roles in vessel and tissue repair; however, their regenerative efficacy is diminished due to the poor survival in the hostile microenvironment of the injured organs. Recent data suggest a promising potential of volatile anesthetics for improving stem cell biology. Thus, we hypothesized that exposure to sevoflurane could stimulate growth and viability of cultured EPCs. Total mononuclear cells were isolated from human umbilical cord blood by gradient centrifugation. After five days in culture, the cells were exposed for one or two hours to sevoflurane 2% or 4% in air/5% CO2, or only to air/5% CO2 (sham control) in a sealed modular chamber. 24 or 48 hours post-exposure, viability, proliferation and apoptosis were assessed using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage assay, a methyl tetrazolium salt (MTS) assay and FITC-annexin V/ propidium iodide (PI) staining, respectively. LDH leakage was discretely lowered, whereas the levels of formazan were significantly increased (p < 0.05 for 1 h incubation with 4% sevoflurane at 24 hrs post-exposure, and with 2% sevoflurane at 48 h post-exposure) in the preconditioned cultures, proving no cytotoxic effects and increased proliferation in treated cells versus control samples. Early (p < 0.05) and late apoptosis (p < 0.05 only for 2% sevoflurane) were diminished following the procedure. Thus, the commonly used sevoflurane anesthetic has protective effects on viability and proliferation of human early endothelial progenitor cells in vitro, suggesting a promising potential of anesthetic preconditioning for improving the regeneration of ischemic tissues.

scholarly journals Angiogenesis‐Related Genes in Endothelial Progenitor Cells May Be Involved in Sickle Cell Stroke

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirta T. Ito ◽  
Sueli M. da Silva Costa ◽  
Letícia C. Baptista ◽  
Gabriela Q. Carvalho‐Siqueira ◽  
Dulcinéia M. Albuquerque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor Cells ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Vascular Diseases ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 1

Background The clinical aspects of sickle cell anemia ( SCA ) are heterogeneous, and different patients may present significantly different clinical evolutions. Almost all organs can be affected, particularly the central nervous system. Transient ischemic events, infarcts, and cerebral hemorrhage can be observed and affect ≈25% of the patients with SCA . Differences in the expression of molecules produced by endothelial cells may be associated with the clinical heterogeneity of patients affected by vascular diseases. In this study, we investigated the differential expression of genes involved in endothelial cell biology in SCA patients with and without stroke. Methods and Results Endothelial progenitor cells from 4 SCA patients with stroke and 6 SCA patients without stroke were evaluated through the polymerase chain reaction array technique. The analysis of gene expression profiling identified 29 differentially expressed genes. Eleven of these genes were upregulated, and most were associated with angiogenesis (55%), inflammatory response (18%), and coagulation (18%) pathways. Downregulated expression was observed in 18 genes, with the majority associated with angiogenesis (28%), apoptosis (28%), and cell adhesion (22%) pathways. Remarkable overexpression of the MMP 1 (matrix metalloproteinase 1) gene in the endothelial progenitor cells of all SCA patients with stroke (fold change: 204.64; P =0.0004) was observed. Conclusions Our results strongly suggest that angiogenesis is an important process in sickle cell stroke, and differences in the gene expression profile of endothelial cell biology, especially MMP 1 , may be related to stroke in SCA patients.

Therapeutic Potential of Endothelial Progenitor Cells for Cardiovascular Diseases

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijing Jia ◽  
Masafumi Takahashi ◽  
Toru Yoshioka ◽  
Hajime Morimoto ◽  
Hirohiko Ise ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor Cells ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Endothelial Progenitor
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