title: Occurring of In Vitro Functional Vasculogenic Pericytes from Human Circulating Early Endothelial Precursor Cell Culture.
abstract: Pericytes are periendothelial cells of the microcirculation which contribute to tissue homeostasis and hemostasis by regulating microvascular morphogenesis and stability. Because of their multipotential ex vivo differentiation capabilities, pericytes are becoming very interesting in regenerative medicine field. Several studies address this issue by attempting to isolate pericyte/mesenchymal-like cells from peripheral blood; however the origin of these cells and their culture conditions are still debated. Here we showed that early Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs) expressing CD45+/CD146+/CD31+ can be a source of cells with pericyte/mesenchymal phenotype and function, identified as human Progenitor Perivascular Cells (hPPCs). We provided evidence that hPPCs have an immunophenotype consistent with Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) from human adipose tissue (hASCs) and fetal membranes of term placenta (FM-hMSCs). In addition, hPPCs can be subcultured and exhibit expression of pluripotent genes (OCT-4, KLF-4, and NANOG) as well as a remarkable vasculogenic potential. Our findings could be helpful to develop innovative cell-based therapies for future clinical applications with distinct therapeutic purposes.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (NIBB), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy ; Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3866-3307
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cantoni
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (NIBB), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy ; Stem Wave Institute for Tissue Healing (SWITH), Gruppo Villa Maria (GVM) and Ettore Sansavini Health Foundation-ONLUS, Lugo, 48022 Ravenna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (NIBB), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy ; Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galletti
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (NIBB), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy ; Stem Wave Institute for Tissue Healing (SWITH), Gruppo Villa Maria (GVM) and Ettore Sansavini Health Foundation-ONLUS, Lugo, 48022 Ravenna, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8999-1538
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Olivi
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5315-0104
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alviano
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (NIBB), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy ; Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Nazzareno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Galiè
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (NIBB), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy ; Stem Wave Institute for Tissue Healing (SWITH), Gruppo Villa Maria (GVM) and Ettore Sansavini Health Foundation-ONLUS, Lugo, 48022 Ravenna, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ventura