Abstract
BackgroundEndothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are responsible for endothelial damage repair. Takayasu’s arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects large vessels. The aim of the study was to evaluate the number of EPCs and the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the relationship of these variables in patients with TA.MethodsThirty women with TA and 30 healthy controls were included. EPCs were assessed by flow cytometry and cell culture and VEGF quantification was performed by commercial ELISA kits.ResultsAges of patients and controls were similar. The number of EPCs in patients and controls (median (interquartile range) were 0.0073% (0.0081%) vs. 0.0062% (0.0089%), p = 0.779 by flow cytometry and 27.0 (42.3) colony forming units (CFUs) vs. 27.0 (20.5) CFUs, p = 0.473 by cells culture, respectively. VEGF levels in patients and controls was 274.5 (395.5) pg/ml vs. 243.5 (255.3) pg/ml, p = 0.460. There was no difference in the number of EPCs and VEGF level between patients with active and inactive disease. There was a tendency of the number of angioblast-like EPCs in patients taking anti-TNFs to be higher; and in patients using methotrexate to be lower.ConclusionNo significant difference was found in the quantification of EPCs and VEGF levels in TA patients compared to controls, and no difference was observed between patients with active and inactive disease.
Highlights
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are responsible for endothelial damage repair
The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in this arteritis is likely multifactorial and may be related to inflammatory process of vessels, chronic systemic inflammation and increased traditional cardiovascular risk factors [3, 7, 8]. In some diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), premature atherosclerosis is explained in part by decreased levels of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) [9,10,11]
Contrary to our expectation, and in opposition of the only one study in the literature [43], in the present study Takayasu’s arteritis (TA) patients showed no significant difference compared to healthy women with respect to quantification of EPCs by flow cytometry, which evaluates angioblast-like EPCs or by cells culture with early growth, which evaluates monocytic EPCs
Summary
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are responsible for endothelial damage repair. Takayasu’s arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects large vessels. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in this arteritis is likely multifactorial and may be related to inflammatory process of vessels, chronic systemic inflammation and increased traditional cardiovascular risk factors [3, 7, 8] In some diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), premature atherosclerosis is explained in part by decreased levels of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) [9,10,11]. The EPCs are bone marrow-derived cells that contribute to the reendothelialization of injured vessels, as well as for neovascularization after ischemic injury [12] These cells are rare [13] and are considered independent predictors of morbidity and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease [14]. VEGF and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) are hypoxia-induced oxygen-sensitive cytokines [15] and play a key role in the mobilization of EPCs from the bone marrow, maturing these into mature endothelial cells and targeting to sites with ischemic tissue [16, 17]
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