title: Effective Mobilization of Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells and Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells but Not Endothelial Progenitor Cells by Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Therapy.
abstract: Recently, murine hematopoietic progenitor stem cells (HSCs) and very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) were demonstrated to express receptors for sex hormones including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This raised the question of whether FSH therapy at clinically applied doses can mobilize stem/progenitor cells in humans. Here we assessed frequencies of VSELs (referred to as Lin(-)CD235a(-)CD45(-)CD133(+) cells), HSPCs (referred to as Lin(-)CD235a(-)CD45(+)CD133(+) cells), and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs, identified as CD34(+)CD144(+), CD34(+)CD133(+), and CD34(+)CD309(+)CD133(+) cells) in fifteen female patients subjected to the FSH therapy. We demonstrated that FSH therapy resulted in statistically significant enhancement in peripheral blood (PB) number of both VSELs and HSPCs. In contrast, the pattern of responses of EPCs delineated by different cell phenotypes was not uniform and we did not observe any significant changes in EPC numbers following hormone therapy. Our data indicate that FSH therapy mobilizes VSELs and HSPCs into peripheral blood that on one hand supports their developmental origin from germ lineage, and on the other hand FSH can become a promising candidate tool for mobilizing HSCs and stem cells with VSEL phenotype in clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproduction and Gynecological Endocrinology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zbucka-Kretowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eljaszewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland ; Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lipinska
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grubczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematological Diagnostics, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rusak
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine Bocian, 15-267 Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mrugacz
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematological Diagnostics, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dabrowska
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute at James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA ; Department of Regenerative Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariusz Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Ratajczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland ; Department of Allergology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moniuszko