Circulating Endothelial Cells as Potential Markers of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

The vascular endothelium is a modulator of a variety of biological systems and plays important structural and functional roles in vascular homeostasis. Normal endothelium is antithrombogenic and yet promotes platelet aggregation and coagulation if injured. Moreover, endothelial damage can cause vasospasm, intimal hyperplasia, and arteriosclerotic acceleration. Endothelial injury is harmful even in the absence of disruption of its monolayer integrity.1 However, research in clinical settings has been hindered by the inaccessibility of vascular endothelium in both healthy subjects and patients, owing to the paucity of non invasive methods and specific endothelial markers. Circulating endothelial cells (CEC), released from vascular endothelial cell to peripheral blood, can directly reflect the severity of endothelial damage. Thus far CEC is the only specific direct indicator of vascular injury in vivo. 2ABSTRACT: Background and Purpose: Vascular endothelial cell (VEC) injury represents a major initiating step in the process of atherosclerosis, which may lead to cerebral infarction. "Circulating endothelial cell" (CEC) is an index of ongoing endothelial injury, while intimal-medial thickness (IMT) detected by sounography was used to evaluate the severity of atherosclerosis. However, to our knowledge, there is no study that investigated the relationship of these two determinations. Our study was designed to address correlate CEC with IMT. Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 30 patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI) and 30 ageand sex-matched volunteers as controls. The CEC counts were determined using Hladovec's method. All subjects underwent a 2-dimensional ultrasound examination of both carotid arteries to measure IMT. CEC counts in ACI group were significantly increased compared with control group (4.88±2.14 cells /0.9μl vs 2.73±1.95/0.9μl, P<0.01); IMT in ACI patients was also significantly thicker compared with volunteers (2.72±1.07 mm vs 1.73±0.99 mm, P<0.01). There was positive correlation between CEC counts and maximal carotid artery IMT in both groups (r=0.522, P<0.01 in ACI patients and r=0.395, P<0.05 in healthy volunteers). Conclusions: Circulating endothelial cell counts can directly reflect the vascular injury. CEC counts parallel IMT. The CEC may be an independent predictor of cerebral infarction.RÉSUMÉ: Cellules endothéliales circulantes comme marqueurs potentiels de l'athérosclérose. Contexte et objectif : Une lésion des cellules endothéliales vasculaires constitue une étape majeure initiant le processus de l'athérosclérose et pouvant mener à l'infarctus cérébral. La cellule endothéliale circulante (CEC) est un témoin de la lésion endothéliale active alors que l'épaisseur intima-média (ÉIM) évaluée par ultrasonographie a été utilisée pour déterminer la sévérité de l'athérosclérose. Cependant, à notre connaissance, aucune étude n'a examiné la relation entre ces deux mesures. Le but de notre étude était d'analyser la relation entre la CEC et l'ÉIM. Méthodes et résultats : La pop...

Epileptic seizures increase circulating endothelial cells in peripheral blood as early indicators of cerebral vascular damage

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Circulating endothelial cells in coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome

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Whole Brain Radiation-Induced Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Mechanisms and Implications

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