Khoo Cheen P, Pozzilli Paolo, Alison Malcolm R
ICMS, Centre for Diabetes & Metabolic Medicine (DMM), Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, London E12AT, UK.
Regen Med. 2008 Nov;3(6):863-76. doi: 10.2217/17460751.3.6.863.
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are derived from the bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB), contributing to tissue repair in various pathological conditions via the formation of new blood vessels, that is, neovascularization. EPCs can be mobilized into the circulation in response to growth factors and cytokines released following stimuli such as vascular trauma, wounding and cancer. EPCs are involved in vasculogenesis during embryogenesis, but are now recognized to have a significant bearing upon disease outcome through their contribution to neovascularization in a variety of pathological states in adulthood. EPCs exist in very small numbers, especially in circulating blood in adults where they only account for 0.01% of all cells. We discuss the contribution and potential therapeutic applications of EPCs in disease, also noting the prognostic value of PB EPC numbers, especially in heart disease and cancer.
内皮祖细胞（EPCs）来源于骨髓（BM）和外周血（PB），通过形成新血管，即新生血管形成，在各种病理状态下促进组织修复。EPCs可响应血管创伤、伤口和癌症等刺激后释放的生长因子和细胞因子而被动员进入循环。EPCs在胚胎发育过程中参与血管生成，但现在人们认识到，它们通过在成年期多种病理状态下对新生血管形成的贡献，对疾病转归具有重要影响。EPCs数量极少，尤其是在成人循环血液中，它们仅占所有细胞的0.01%。我们讨论了EPCs在疾病中的作用和潜在治疗应用，还指出了外周血EPCs数量的预后价值，特别是在心脏病和癌症方面。
