Objective. To identify, evaluate, and synthesize evidence on the predictive power of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in cardiovascular disease, through a systematic review of quantitative studies.
Data Sources. MEDLINE was searched using keywords related to “endothelial progenitor cells” and “endothelium” and, for the different categories, respectively, “smoking”; “blood pressure”; “diabetes mellitus” or “insulin resistance”; “dyslipidemia”; “aging” or “elderly”; “angina pectoris” or “myocardial infarction”; “stroke” or “cerebrovascular disease”; “homocysteine”; “C-reactive protein”; “vitamin D”. Study Selection. Database hits were evaluated against explicit inclusion criteria. From 927 database hits, 43 quantitative studies were included. Data Syntheses. EPC count has been suggested for cardiovascular risk estimation in the clinical practice, since it is currently accepted that EPCs can work as proangiogenic support cells, maintaining their importance as regenerative/reparative potential, and also as prognostic markers. Conclusions. EPCs showed an important role in identifying cardiovascular risk conditions, and to suggest their evaluation as predictor of outcomes appears to be reasonable in different defined clinical settings. Due to their capability of proliferation, circulation, and the development of functional progeny, great interest has been directed to therapeutic use of progenitor cells in atherosclerotic diseases. This trial is registered with registration number: Prospero CRD42015023717.
Our data show a link between inflammation, oxidative stress, and the impairment of the antioxidant system of CPCs and their number, and with arterial stiffness in RA subjects. This could suggest a perspective on the accelerated development of vascular damage and atherosclerosis in RA.
We investigated whether different degrees of hypertension-related cardiovascular involvement are associated with changes in circulating proangiogenic hematopoietic cell (PHC) numbers and/or phenotypes and/or in the PHC redox system in hypertensive individuals with isolated arterial stiffening (AS) hypertensives or with both carotid intima-media thickening and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) hypertensives. We also evaluated microRNA (miRs) 221 and 222 (miRs221/222) expression in CD34+ cells, the relationship between these miRs and cell number and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and the expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), catalase (CAT) glutathione peroxidase type-1 (GPx-1) and gp91phox-containing nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide-phosphate-oxidase (NOX2). Proangiogenic hematopoietic cells (PHCs) from hypertensive patients and controls were isolated by flow cytometry. PHCs were higher in hypertensives than in controls but were lower in LVH than in AS hypertensives. In CD34+ cells from AS hypertensives, NOX2, MnSOD, CAT and GPx-1 were overexpressed; ROS, miRs and NOX2 were also increased and were associated with cell number. In LVH, we found an imbalance in the cell redox system; MnSOD showed the highest values, whereas CAT and GPx-1 were lower than in AS hypertensives. Intracellular ROS, miRs and NOX2 were higher and inversely associated with cell number. In AS hypertensives, the redox balance may sustain the increase in PHCs; by contrast, in hypertensives with more advanced lesions, redox imbalance may result in increased oxidative stress and cell reduction.
Background and aims: Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity is increased in inflammatory joint diseases (IJD), as rheumatoid (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Whereas increased prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis has been reported in these conditions, whether an early myocardial functionality is also impaired remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the myocardial functionality by speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) in recent onset RA and PsA patients and its potential associations with the levels of circulating CD34+ cells, vitamin D, and with disease activity.Methods: STE was used to assess the myocardial functionality in patients with very early RA (n=41) and PsA (n=35) without traditional CV risk factors, and 58 matched healthy controls (HC). Global longitudinal and circumferential strain (GLS and GCS) were estimated. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), carotid intimamedia thickness (cIMT) were measured as surrogate markers of atherosclerosis. Circulating CD34+ counts were evaluated by flow cytometry and vitamin D levels were quantified by HPLC. Disease activity was assessed by Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28).Results: RA patients exhibited impaired GLS and GCS (both p<0.001) as compared to HC, GLS being also altered in PsA (p=0.020 vs. HC). DAS28 was correlated to GLS (r=0.908, p<0.001) and GCS (r=0.868, p<0.001) in RA, these findings being confirmed by multivariate regression analyses adjusted for confounders and Principal Component Analyses. GLS and GCS were impaired in PsA patients with high disease activity as compared to HC, and GLS was found to be a predictor of cIMT in this condition. On the other hand, vitamin D was negatively associated with cIMT in HC (r=-0.308, p=0.026) but not in PsA or RA, although decreased levels were observed (both p<0.001). Vitamin D was an independent predictor of decreased CD34+ levels in PsA and RA. CD34+ counts negatively correlated DAS28, GLS and GCS in RA.Conclusions: Subclinical myocardial dysfunction is observed in IJD patients with preserved left-ventricular function and without traditional CV risk factors. Subclinical myocardial dysfunction was found to be a very early event in IJD. Disease activity was the main predictor of myocardial strain impairment. Interestingly, myocardial function was altered and associated with cIMT also in PsA patients with high disease activity.
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