title: Circulating endothelial progenitor cells in hypertensive patients with increased arterial stiffness.
abstract: The potential association between arterial stiffening and circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with essential hypertension was investigated. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was used to evaluate arterial stiffness in 24 patients with essential hypertension and 19 healthy controls. Blood samples were taken and immunostained with antibodies against the cell surface markers CD34, CD45, and CD133. Using flow cytometry, EPCs as a population of CD45-/CD34+/CD133+ cells were measured. Hypertensive patients were not found to have higher levels of circulating CD45-/CD34+/CD133+ compared with the control group (0.0026%±0.0031% vs 0.0023%±0.0023%, respectively; P=.7). Correlation analysis revealed a strong association between the number of CD45-/CD34+/CD133+ cells and PWV (r=0.58, P<.001), indicating that hypertensive patients with increased PWV have a greater percentage of CD45-/CD34+/CD133+ cells. Data showed a correlation between the number of circulating CD45-/CD34+/CD133+ cells and arterial stiffness, suggesting that those cells might have a role in arterial remodeling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Heraklion University Hospital, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Marketou
authors.forename: Athanasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalyva
authors.forename: Fragiskos I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Parthenakis
authors.forename: Charalampos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pontikoglou
authors.forename: Spyros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maragkoudakis
authors.forename: Joanna E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kontaraki
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chlouverakis
authors.forename: Evangelos A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Zacharis
authors.forename: Alexandros
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patrianakos
authors.forename: Helen A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Papadaki
authors.forename: Panos E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Vardas
mesh_terms: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D000075222:Essential Hypertension; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D011446:Prospective Studies; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D066253:Vascular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD; D018952:Antigens, CD34; D006023:Glycoproteins; C000606023:PROM1 protein, human; D010455:Peptides; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens