title: Testosterone deficiency in male heart failure patients and its effect on endothelial progenitor cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are thought to contribute to reendothelialization and neoangiogenesis. Since it is known that EPCs express a testosterone receptor, we wanted to assess the prevalence of testosterone deficiency in patients with CHF and its impact on circulating EPCs.
  
  
  METHODS
  137 male patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) were included (age 61 ± 13 years; BMI 29 ± 5 kg/m(2); New York Heart Association classification (NYHA) I: n = 47, NYHA II: n = 51, NYHA III: n = 39). Numbers of different populations of circulating EPCs were quantified using flow cytometry. Levels of free testosterone and EPC-regulating cytokines were determined using ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of testosterone deficiency in our University CHF clinic was 39%. However, there was no difference between patients with and without testosterone deficiency regarding their levels of EPCs. Testosterone levels were inversely correlated with age (R(2) = -0.32, p = 0.001) and NYHA status (R(2) = 0.28, p = 0.001) and correlated with cardiorespiratory capacity (R(2) = 0.26, p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Testosterone deficiency is frequent in male patients with CHF but does not appear to impact the regenerative EPCs.
authors: First Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Florvaag
authors: Volker
authors: V
authors: Oberle
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Fritzenwanger
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Kretschmar
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Betge
authors: Bjoern
authors: B
authors: Goebel
authors: Dagmar
authors: D
authors: Barz
authors: Markus
authors: M
authors: Ferrari
authors: Hans R
authors: HR
authors: Figulla
authors: Marcus
authors: M
authors: Franz
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Jung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D004727:Endothelium / Q000502:physiology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D013739:Testosterone