title: [Change in number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells and its significance in septic rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the change in number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (cEPCs) and analyze its significance in septic rat.
  
  
  METHODS
  Septic model of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was reproduced by cecum ligation and puncture (n=80), and the normal control group (n=16) and sham operation group (n=80) were established. Nine rats in each group were used, and the cEPCs numbers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs, by flow cytometry), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10), D-dimer (by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA), antithrombase-III ( AT-III , by immunonephelometry), wet/dry (W/D) ratio of liver, kidney and lung were determined at 0, 6, 12, 18 hours and 1, 2, 3, 7 days after reproduction of model. Eight rats in each group were used, and the pathologic changes in liver, kidney and lung at 1 day were observed, and the injury scores were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cEPCs number was markedly increased, reaching the peak [(7 161.9±689.8)/10(6) PBMCs]at 18 hours. Circulating TNF-α, IL-10, D-dimer, AT-III were found to be increased, and the levels reached the peak at 12 hours, 12 hours, 3 days, 18 hours, respectively[(51.3±6.8) ng/L, (77.9±8.6) ng/L, (93.5±11.5) mg/L, (193.8±43.0) mg/L]. W/D ratio was elevated and signs of injury to the liver,kidney, lung became more obvious (18-hour W/D of liver: 3.79±0.09, kidney: 4.25±0.08, lung: 4.91±0.09; 1-day tissue evaluation of liver:1.86±0.26, kidney: 5.14±0.34, lung: 6.57±0.37). The levels of all parameters in model group were significantly higher than those in sham operation group[18-hour cEPCs numbers: (2 235.5±472.7)/10(6) PBMCs, 12-hour TNF-α: (14.3±5.8) ng/L, 12-hour IL-10: (35.0±5.8) ng/L, 3-day D-dimer: (14.2±4.4) mg/L, 18-hour AT-III: (100.1±12.8) mg/L; 18-hour liver W/D ratio: 3.50±0.07, kidney: 3.96±0.04, lung: 4.54±0.14; 1-day tissue evaluation of liver:0.29±0.18,kidney: 0.57±0.20, lung: 1.14±0.51, P<0.05 or P<0.01]. There was positive correlation between cEPCs numbers and TNF-α (r=0.587), IL-10 (r=0.497), D-dimer (r=0.294), AT-III (r=0.690), and W/D ratio of liver, kidney, lung (r(1)=0.532, r(2)=0.532, r(3)=0.679, all P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cEPCs number markedly increases in septic rats, and it shows positive correlation with the degree of inflammatory reaction, blood clotting activation, capillary leakage and tissue damage. The increase of number of cEPCs is the result of reaction to sepsis, and its change in number might be valuable in evaluating the pathogenesis of sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery Intensive Care Unit, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yao-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018805:Sepsis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10