Generation of Autologous Vascular Endothelial Cells for Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a prevalent cardiovascular disease with risks of limb loss. Our objective is to establish an autologous cell source for vascular regeneration to achieve limb salvage in PAD. Six PAD patients (age 50-80) were enrolled with their peripheral blood collected to derive vascular endothelial cells (ECs) with two different approaches: (1) endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) approach and (2) induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) approach. The iPSC approach successfully generated patient-specific ECs for all PAD patients, while the EPC approach did not yield any colony-forming ECs in any of the patients. The patient-derived iPSC-ECs expressed endothelial markers and exhibited endothelial functions. However, elevated inflammatory status with VCAM-1 expression was observed in the patient-derived cells. Pharmacological treatment with resveratrol resulted in patient-specific responses in cell viability and VCAM-1 expression. Our study demonstrates the potential of iPSC-ECs for autologous regenerative therapy in PAD, offering promise for personalized treatments for ischemic PAD.

Automated summary

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a prevalent cardiovascular disease that can lead to limb loss. This study aimed to establish an autologous cell source for vascular regeneration in PAD. The induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) approach successfully generated patient-specific vascular endothelial cells (ECs) in all PAD patients, while the endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) approach did not yield any colony-forming ECs. The patient-derived iPSC-ECs expressed endothelial markers and exhibited endothelial functions. Pharmacological treatment with resveratrol showed patient-specific responses in cell viability and VCAM-1 expression.