Abstract
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) are continuously present in blood and have reparative functions for injured endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells in both arteries and the heart. Previous studies show that triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TGRL), and especially lipolysis products of TGRL, can injure and modify endothelial cells, monocytes, and platelets. This suggests that lipids and lipoproteins normally present in blood could affect circulating EPC levels and EPC function. The overall goals of this project are to develop the technological platforms to nondestructively characterize, image, and sort individual EPCs. We hypothesize that high concentrations of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TGRL) lipolysis products injure EPCs and impair functionality. Lipid raft-labeled EPCs were visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy to observe morphological changes induced by TGRL and/or its lipolysis products over time. Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation (FTIR) spectroscopy on EPCs treated with TGRL lipolysis products shows severe degradation and/or aggregation of protein secondary structures. Currently underway are functional assays for viability, proliferation, migration, senescence, and apoptosis. These results indicate that lipids normally present in blood may damage circulating EPCs and possibly impair their ability to repair damaged endothelium. This work is supported by University of California at Davis Stem Cell Seed grant, NIH HL 78615 minority supplement, and NSF Center for Biophotonic Sciences and Technology.
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