title: Endothelial precursor cells.
abstract: The discovery and subsequent characterization of endothelial precursor cells (EPCs) has stimulated interest in their potential use in older persons. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie EPC availability and function has important clinical implications for this age group. In this review, we discuss aspects of EPCs that are relevant to their role in angiogenesis and cardiovascular disease. We then review the limited data on features of EPCs that are known to be altered in aging and might better define their clinical utility in older persons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, 300 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA. mjr@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: May J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karres
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eyman
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Edelberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*