Abstract
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are defined as non-endothelial cells which are capable of differentiating into cells with endothelial phenotypes, adhere to matrix molecules and demonstrate acetylated Low Density Lipoprotein (acLDL) uptake and lectin positivity. EPCs consist of two different cell types with distinct cell growth pattern and angiogenic secretory capability, leading to enhanced vascular regeneration. They can be isolated from various sources including bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood. Quantification of EPCs and assessment of function have been used as a surrogate marker for endothelial dysfunction, as the quantity and quality of EPCs inversely correlate with the number of cardiovascular risk factors. Preclinical and early human trials have shown that EPC-based therapy is safe and feasible for the treatment of several vascular disease states including restenosis, ischaemia and pulmonary hypertension. We describe a protocol for EPC isolation and characterisation from peripheral mononuclear cells which can be used for direct quantification of EPC number as a surrogate marker of cardiovascular risk factors, and in vitro and in vivo assessment of EPC biology.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Vaughan EE, Liew A, Mashayekhi K, Dockery P, McDermott J, Kealy B, Flynn A, Duffy A, Coleman C, O’Regan A et al (2012) Pretreatment of endothelial progenitor cells with osteopontin enhances cell therapy for peripheral vascular disease. Cell Transplant 21(6):1095–1107
Gulati R, Jevremovic D, Peterson TE, Chatterjee S, Shah V, Vile RG, Simari RD (2003) Diverse origin and function of cells with endothelial phenotype obtained from adult human blood. Circ Res 93(11):1023–1025
Hur J, Yoon CH, Kim HS, Choi JH, Kang HJ, Hwang KK, Oh BH, Lee MM, Park YB (2004) Characterization of two types of endothelial progenitor cells and their different contributions to neovasculogenesis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 24(2):288–293
Lin Y, Weisdorf DJ, Solovey A, Hebbel RP (2000) Origins of circulating endothelial cells and endothelial outgrowth from blood. J Clin Invest 105(1):71–77
Nagaya N, Kangawa K, Kanda M, Uematsu M, Horio T, Fukuyama N, Hino J, Harada-Shiba M, Okumura H, Tabata Y et al (2003) Hybrid cell-gene therapy for pulmonary hypertension based on phagocytosing action of endothelial progenitor cells. Circulation 108(7):889–895
Liew A, Barry F, O’Brien T (2006) Endothelial progenitor cells: diagnostic and therapeutic considerations. Bioessays 28(3):261–270
Urbich C, Heeschen C, Aicher A, Dernbach E, Zeiher AM, Dimmeler S (2003) Relevance of monocytic features for neovascularization capacity of circulating endothelial progenitor cells. Circulation 108(20):2511–2516
He T, Smith LA, Harrington S, Nath KA, Caplice NM, Katusic ZS (2004) Transplantation of circulating endothelial progenitor cells restores endothelial function of denuded rabbit carotid arteries. Stroke 35(10):2378–2384
Vasa M, Fichtlscherer S, Aicher A, Adler K, Urbich C, Martin H, Zeiher AM, Dimmeler S (2001) Number and migratory activity of circulating endothelial progenitor cells inversely correlate with risk factors for coronary artery disease. Circ Res 89(1):E1–E7
Hill JM, Zalos G, Halcox JP, Schenke WH, Waclawiw MA, Quyyumi AA, Finkel T (2003) Circulating endothelial progenitor cells, vascular function, and cardiovascular risk. N Engl J Med 348(7):593–600
Ghani U, Shuaib A, Salam A, Nasir A, Shuaib U, Jeerakathil T, Sher F, O’Rourke F, Nasser AM, Schwindt B et al (2005) Endothelial progenitor cells during cerebrovascular disease. Stroke 36(1):151–153
Schmidt-Lucke C, Rossig L, Fichtlscherer S, Vasa M, Britten M, Kamper U, Dimmeler S, Zeiher AM (2005) Reduced number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells predicts future cardiovascular events: proof of concept for the clinical importance of endogenous vascular repair. Circulation 111(22):2981–2987
Chang ZT, Hong L, Wang H, Lai HL, Li LF, Yin QL (2013) Application of peripheral-blood-derived endothelial progenitor cell for treating ischemia-reperfusion injury and infarction: a preclinical study in rat models. J Cardiothorac Surg 8:33
Kong D, Melo LG, Mangi AA, Zhang L, Lopez-Ilasaca M, Perrella MA, Liew CC, Pratt RE, Dzau VJ (2004) Enhanced inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia by genetically engineered endothelial progenitor cells. Circulation 109(14):1769–1775
Yip HK, Chang LT, Sun CK, Sheu JJ, Chiang CH, Youssef AA, Lee FY, Wu CJ, Fu M (2008) Autologous transplantation of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells attenuates monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats. Crit Care Med 36(3):873–880
Zhu JH, Wang XX, Zhang FR, Shang YP, Tao QM, Zhu JH, Chen JZ (2008) Safety and efficacy of autologous endothelial progenitor cells transplantation in children with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: open-label pilot study. Pediatr Transplant 12(6):650–655
Losordo DW, Henry TD, Davidson C, Sup Lee J, Costa MA, Bass T, Mendelsohn F, Fortuin FD, Pepine CJ, Traverse JH et al (2011) Intramyocardial, autologous CD34+ cell therapy for refractory angina. Circ Res 109(4):428–436
Mead LE, Prater D, Yoder MC, Ingram DA (2008) Isolation and characterization of endothelial progenitor cells from human blood. Curr Protoc Stem Cell Biol. Chapter 2:Unit 2C 1
Liew A, McDermott JH, Barry F, O’Brien T (2008) Endothelial progenitor cells for the treatment of diabetic vasculopathy: panacea or Pandora’s box? Diabetes Obes Metab 10(5):353–366
Thomas HE, Redgrave R, Cunnington MS, Avery P, Keavney BD, Arthur HM (2008) Circulating endothelial progenitor cells exhibit diurnal variation. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 28(3):e21–e22
Kealy B, Liew A, McMahon JM, Ritter T, O’Doherty A, Hoare M, Greiser U, Vaughan EE, Maenz M, O’Shea C et al (2009) Comparison of viral and nonviral vectors for gene transfer to human endothelial progenitor cells. Tissue Eng Part C Methods 15(2):223–231
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Liew, A., O’Brien, T. (2015). Isolation of Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs). In: Slevin, M., McDowell, G. (eds) Handbook of Vascular Biology Techniques. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9716-0_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9716-0_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9715-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9716-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)