Journal
AMERICAN HEART JOURNAL
Volume 157, Issue 2, Pages 335-344Publisher
MOSBY-ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.ahj.2008.10.010
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (Bethesda, MD) [K-18 HL081419-01A1]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background Multiple measures of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been described, but there has been limited study of the comparability of these assays. We sought to determine the reproducibility of and correlation between alternative EPC assay methodologies. Methods We simultaneously assessed EPC numbers in 140 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization using the 2 most commonly used culture techniques: endothelial cell outgrowth and colony-forming unit (CFU). In the final 77 patients, EPCs were also identified on the basis of cell surface marker expression (CD133, CD34, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 [VEGFR-2]) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. Results Endothelial progenitor cell enumeration based on fluorescence activated cell sorting was more precise than culture assays. There was limited correlation between EPC numbers determined using the 2 common culture-based assays; however, endothelial CFUs correlated with VEGFR-2 and CD34/VEGFR-2-expressing cells. Endothelial progenitor cells defined by expression of CD133, CD34, CD133/CD34, and ALDH activity correlated with each other, but not with VEGFR-(2+) cells. Conclusions Endothelial progenitor cells can be broadly classified into 2 classes: VEGFR-2-expressing cells, which give rise to endothelial CFUs, and CID 133/CD34 or ALDH(br) cells. These observations underscore the need for better assay standardization and a more precise definition of EPCs in cell therapy research. (Am Heart J 2009;157:335-44.)
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available