Abstract
The number and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) may be a predictive factor for the severity and outcome of cardiovascular disease. However, the manipulation of bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMC) cultures for EPCs is an elaborate and difficult procedure in small experimental animals. The present study aimed to assess the feasibility of whole bone marrow cell (WBMC) culture for expanding EPCs in small experimental animals. C57BL/6 mice (age, 3–4 weeks; weight, 9.47±0.76 g) were used as the experimental animals, and WBMCs were isolated from the femora and tibiae and cultured in endothelial cell growth medium-2. A BMMC culture for EPCs was used as a control. EPC growth, phenotype and functions were assessed in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrated that EPCs were easily obtained from a WBMC culture in vitro. The cells exhibited similar growth and biological characteristics when compared with the EPCs derived from the traditional BMMC culture system. Thus, the cells were able to simultaneously bind to lectin and cause phagocytosis of acetylated-low density lipoproteins. In addition, the cells exhibited high expression levels of cluster of differentiation 34 and fetal liver kinase 1, and possessed similar functional properties to BMMC-derived EPCs, including vascular network formation, proliferation, adhesion and migration abilities in vitro. Thus, WBMC-derived EPCs can improve the outcome of pulmonary vascular disease when transplanted into a monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension mouse model. The results of the present study indicated that the WBMC culture system is a more convenient and effective method of obtaining and expanding EPCs compared with BMMC culture, with the advantage of a simplified procedure.
Highlights
The preservation of vascular endothelial integrity is a dynamic process involving the injury and repair of endothelial cells
Previous studies have indicated that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are the precursors of endothelial cells, play a pivotal role in vascular homeostasis and endothelial repair, and have been implicated in vasculogenesis or neovascularization associated with cardiovascular disease [4‐7]
The present study demonstrated that EPCs were obtained from whole bone marrow cell (WBMC) cultured in vitro
Summary
The preservation of vascular endothelial integrity is a dynamic process involving the injury and repair of endothelial cells. Previous studies have indicated that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are the precursors of endothelial cells, play a pivotal role in vascular homeostasis and endothelial repair, and have been implicated in vasculogenesis or neovascularization associated with cardiovascular disease [4‐7]. Under conditions of tissue ischemia or injury, EPCs may be mobilized from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood [5], where they migrate to sites of injured endothelium and differentiate into endothelial cells [6]. This stimulates angiogenesis and endothelial cell repair [7]. A number of studies have indicated that patients with cardiovascular disease, including pulmonary hypertension (PH) and coronary artery disease, exhibit a reduced EPC number and function [8,9]. The upregulation of EPCs may improve the outcome of disease [9], and the EPC number and function may be used as predictive factors for the severity and outcome of cardiovascular disease
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