title: Relationship between exercise capacity, endothelial progenitor cells and cytochemokines in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.
abstract: No data are available about the possible role of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), cytochemokines and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in determining a different response to short period of cardiologic rehabilitation (CR), as measured by the improvement of exercise capacity. In a population of 86 cardiac surgery patients, we evaluated the numbers of EPCs, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1ra), hs-C-reactive protein (CRP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and NT-proBNP before (T1), and after 15 days of CR (T2). EPCs were measured by flow cytometry, and the exercise capacity was measured at T1 and T2 by using the six-minute walk test (6MWT). At T2, a significant increase of 6MWT (p<0.0001) was detected. No significant increase of EPCs was observed, while a significant (at least p<0.05) decrease in cytochemokines, CRP and NT-ProBNP levels was evidenced. By analyzing the median improvement of 6MWT, only patients with a median improvement > or = 23% showed a significant (p<0.05) increase of EPCs at T2, with significant correlations between EPCs, VEGF and IL-10. On the contrary, in patients with a median improvement <23% a negative correlation between CRP and EPCs was observed. Finally, CD34+/KDR+ EPCs showed significant correlation with IL-8 at T1. In conclusion, a short period of CR intervention determines a different pattern of modifications for EPCs in relation to the improvement of exercise capacity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Critical Care, Thrombosis Centre, University of Florence, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Viale Morgagni 85, 50134 Florence, Italy. francesca.cesari@gmail.com
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cesari
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sofi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caporale
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capalbo
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcucci
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.forename: Raffaele Molino
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lova
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cellai
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vannucci
authors.forename: Gian Franco
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Gensini
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abbate
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gori
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D002097:C-Reactive Protein