title: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol affects early endothelial progenitor cell number and endothelial function in obese women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In order to improve our understanding of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) cardiovascular (CV) impact in obesity, the association of HDL-C plasma level with circulating early endothelial progenitor cell (early-EPC) number and endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (EDV) in obese women with normal or high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) plasma levels was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred thirteen obese female subjects and a control group of 78 healthy female subjects were recruited. Circulating early-EPC were assessed by single- and two-color flow cytometric analyses with a fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACScan) flow cytometer. EDV was evaluated as response to ischemia by strain gauge plethysmography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both early-EPC number and EDV were significantly decreased in obese women compared with the control group. Obese women with low HDL-C showed a further decrease of early-EPC and EDV in the presence of both high or normal LDL-C plasmatic levels. In the normal HDL-C level subgroup, hypercholesterolemic and nonhypercholesterolemic subjects showed no difference in early-EPC number, whereas slight EDV impairment was present in hypercholesterolemic subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In obese women, low HDL-C is associated to decreased early-EPC number and impaired EDV, suggesting the need to assess whether evaluation of early-EPC and EDV may increase HDL-C prognostic value in the stratification of CV risk.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bertone
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Michelon
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Santiemma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002452:Cell Count; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010991:Plethysmography; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL