title: Modulation of endothelium and endothelial progenitor cell function by low-density lipoproteins: implication for vascular repair, angiogenesis and vasculogenesis.
abstract: The endothelium regulates vascular homeostasis and is responsible for angiogenesis, a process mediated by the sprouting of endothelial cells from pre-existing vessels. Several lines of evidence indicate that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) also play a role in adult neovascularization as well as in the maintenance of endothelial integrity and function. Hypercholesterolemia is associated with increased cardiovascular risk by inducing a cascade of events leading to endothelial dysfunction and injury. Growing evidence indicates that low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) impair endothelial reparative processes by inducing endothelial cell apoptosis but also by reducing the number and function of EPCs. The involvement of LDLs in mechanisms associated with vascular repair and neovascularization is also suggested by data from studies using lipid-lowering drugs (statins). This review is focused on the central role of the cholesterol pathway in the biology of the endothelium and EPCs.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación Cardiovascular (CSIC-ICCC), Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slevin
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Calvo
authors.forename: Shant
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krupinski
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tejerina
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martínez-González
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000378:metabolism; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000378:metabolism*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL