Neurobiology and Neuroregenerative Therapies Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Neurological Institute "Carlo Besta", Milan, Italy.
Cytotechnology. 2008 Sep;58(1):43-7. doi: 10.1007/s10616-008-9167-7. Epub 2008 Oct 18.
Vasculogenesis, the formation of blood vessels in embryonic or fetal tissue mediated by immature vascular cells (i.e., angioblasts), is poorly understood. Here we report a summary of our recent studies on the identification of a population of vascular progenitor cells (VPCs) in human fetal aorta. These undifferentiated mesenchymal cells co-express endothelial and myogenic markers (CD133+, CD34+, KDR+, desmin+) and are localized in outer layer of the aortic stroma of 11-12 weeks old human fetuses. Under stimulation with VEGF-A or PDGF-BB, VPCs give origin to a mixed population of mature endothelial and mural cells, respectively. When embedded in a three-dimensional collagen gel, VPCs organize into cohesive cellular cords that resembled mature vascular structures. The therapeutic efficacy of a small number of VPCs transplanted into ischemic limb muscle was demonstrated in immunodeficient mice. Investigation of the effect of VPCs on experimental heart ischemia and on diabetic ischemic ulcers in mice is in progress and seems to confirm their efficacy. On the whole, fetal aorta represents an important source for the investigation of phenotypic and functional features of human vascular progenitor cells.
血管发生，即在胚胎或胎儿组织中由未成熟的血管细胞（即血管母细胞）介导的血管形成，其机制尚不清楚。在这里，我们报告了我们最近关于鉴定人胎儿主动脉中血管祖细胞（VPC）群体的研究总结。这些未分化的间充质细胞共同表达内皮和肌源性标志物（CD133+、CD34+、KDR+、结蛋白+），并定位于 11-12 周龄人胎儿主动脉基质的外皮层。在 VEGF-A 或 PDGF-BB 的刺激下，VPC 分别起源于成熟的内皮和壁细胞的混合群体。当嵌入三维胶原凝胶中时，VPC 组织成类似成熟血管结构的有凝聚力的细胞索。在免疫缺陷小鼠中，已证明少量 VPC 移植到缺血肢体肌肉中的治疗效果。目前正在研究 VPC 对实验性心肌缺血和糖尿病性缺血性溃疡的影响，似乎证实了它们的疗效。总的来说，胎儿主动脉是研究人类血管祖细胞表型和功能特征的重要来源。
