Abstract
Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by low-grade inflammation and confers an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a measure of vascular health and are decreased in patients with various risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is a paucity of data examining the EPC status especially in terms of their functionality in MetS subjects without diabetes or cardiovascular disease. We aimed to enumerate and functionally characterize EPCs in subjects with MetS in comparison to healthy controls. Methods: The study was performed at the University of California Davis Medical Center. Healthy controls (n=31) and MetS (n=46) subjects were included in the study. EPCs were enumerated in fasting blood by KDR/CD34 dual positivity. Functionality was assessed by the colony forming units (CFU) assay, migration and tubule formation. Results: Subjects with MetS had significantly decreased number of EPCs compared to control subjects. Furthermore, EPCs from MetS subjects depicted significantly impaired clonogenic capacity, i.e., decreased colony forming units, and impaired capacity to incorporate into tubular structures suggesting functional impairment of EPCs from MetS subjects. Conclusions: We make the novel observation that MetS subjects without diabetes or CVD have decreased EPC number and impaired functionality as compared to control subjects. These findings could contribute to the increased CV risk in this population.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 297-302 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Atherosclerosis |
Volume | 211 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2010 |
Keywords
- CD34+KDR+ cells
- CRP
- EPC functions
- Metabolic Syndrome
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine