Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Province Guangdong, PR China.
Laboratory Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Province Guangdong, PR China.
Respir Med. 2021 Jan;176:106270. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2020.106270. Epub 2020 Dec 1.
Bronchiectasis is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease（CVD）and cardiac dysfunction. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a crucial role in maintaining endothelial function, and is inversely correlated with cardiovascular risk factors or cardiac dysfunction. However, the relationship between EPCs and bronchiectasis is unknown.
Twenty-nine patients with stable bronchiectasis and 15 healthy controls were recruited. Fasting venous blood were collected for determining circulating EPC number and activity as well as systemic inflammatory cytokines.
The number and migratory or proliferative activity of circulating EPCs in bronchiectasis patients were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). In high E-FACED group, the number of circulating EPCs evaluated by cell culture assay and EPC proliferation were decreased (p < 0.05). Similarly, the number and function of circulating EPCs were both reduced in low forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) or high mMRC group (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between circulating EPCs and bronchiectasis disease severity, according to the E-FACED score (p < 0.05), particularly to FEV1 (p < 0.05) and mMRC dyspnea score (p < 0.05). The count and activity of EPCs inversely correlated with hsCRP levels and IL-6 levels (p < 0.01).
Deficiencies in the number and function of circulating EPCs are present in patients with bronchiectasis. The changes are related to disease severity and may be partly attributed to systemic inflammation. The current findings may provide novel surrogate evaluation biomarkers and potential therapeutic target for bronchiectasis.
支气管扩张症是心血管疾病（CVD）和心功能障碍的独立危险因素。内皮祖细胞（EPCs）在维持内皮功能方面发挥着至关重要的作用，并且与心血管危险因素或心功能障碍呈负相关。然而，EPCs 与支气管扩张症之间的关系尚不清楚。
招募了 29 例稳定期支气管扩张症患者和 15 名健康对照者。采集空腹静脉血，以测定循环 EPC 数量和活性以及全身炎症细胞因子。
支气管扩张症患者循环 EPC 的数量和迁移或增殖活性显著降低（p<0.001）。在高 E-FACED 组中，通过细胞培养测定评估的循环 EPC 数量和 EPC 增殖减少（p<0.05）。同样，低 FEV1 或高 mMRC 组的循环 EPC 数量和功能均降低（p<0.05）。根据 E-FACED 评分，循环 EPCs 与支气管扩张症疾病严重程度之间存在显著相关性（p<0.05），尤其是与 FEV1（p<0.05）和 mMRC 呼吸困难评分（p<0.05）。EPC 的数量和活性与 hsCRP 水平和 IL-6 水平呈负相关（p<0.01）。
支气管扩张症患者存在循环 EPC 数量和功能的缺陷。这些变化与疾病严重程度有关，部分原因可能是全身炎症。目前的研究结果可能为支气管扩张症提供新的替代评估生物标志物和潜在的治疗靶点。
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