title: BM ageing: Implication for cell therapy with EPCs.
abstract: The bone marrow (BM) is a well-recognized source of stem/progenitor cells for cell therapy in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) contribute to reparative process of vascular endothelium and participate in angiogenesis. As for all organs and cells across the lifespan, BM and EPCs are negatively impacted by ageing due to microenvironment modifications and EPC progressive dysfunctions. The encouraging results in terms of neovascularization observed in young animals after EPC administration were mitigated in aged patients treated for ischemic CVDs. The limited efficacy of EPC-based therapy in clinical setting might be ascribed at least partly to ageing. In this review, we comprehensively discussed the age-related changes of BM and EPCs and their implication for cardiovascular cell-therapies. Finally, we examined alternative approaches under investigation to enhance EPC potency.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rurali
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bassetti
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca Lorenzo
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Perrucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanobini
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Azienda Ospedaliera San Gerardo, Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Malafronte
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Azienda Ospedaliera San Gerardo, Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Felice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Achilli
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: elisa.gambini@ccfm.it.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gambini
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans
keywords: Ageing; Bone marrow; Cardiovascular disease; Cell therapy; EPC