title: CD31+ T cells, endothelial function and cardiovascular risk.
abstract: Deficits in endothelial cell repair mechanisms are thought to contribute to the aetiology of endothelial dysfunction and, subsequently, cardiovascular disease (CVD). CD31(+) T cells or so-called "angiogenic T cells" are a newly defined T cell subset that exhibit favourable vascular qualities and show a strong negative relation with atherosclerotic disease severity. Despite growing evidence that CD31(+) T cells are important for vascular homeostasis, it is currently unknown if CD31(+) T cell number and function are related to endothelial function and CVD risk in healthy adults. To address this question, we studied 24 healthy adult men (ages: 21-70). Endothelial function was assessed by the forearm blood flow (FBF) response to intra-arterial infusion of acetylcholine (ACh) and CVD risk was estimated by Framingham Risk Score (FRS). CD31(+) T cell number was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Magnetic-activated cell sorting was used to isolate CD31(+) T cells for Boyden chamber migration. No relation was observed between CD31(+) T cell number and FBF response to ACh or FRS. However, CD31(+) T cell migration to stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was positively correlated with FBF response to ACh (r = 0.43 for SDF-1α; r = 0.38 for VEGF; both P<0.05) and inversely related to FRS (r = -0.53 for SDF-1α; r = -0.48 for VEGF; both P<0.05). These findings demonstrate that CD31(+) T cell function, but not number, is associated with in vivo endothelial function and CVD risk in healthy adult men.
authors.affiliation: Integrative Vascular Biology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Weil
authors.forename: Erich J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kushner
authors.forename: Kyle J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Diehl
authors.forename: Jared J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Greiner
authors.forename: Brian L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Stauffer
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Desouza
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018679:Cholinergic Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D012307:Risk Factors; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018679:Cholinergic Agonists; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D000109:Acetylcholine