title: Circulating Bone Marrow-Derived CD45-/CD34+/CD133+/VEGF+ Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Adults with Crohn's Disease.
abstract: Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are bone marrow-derived stem cells able to migrate to sites of damaged endothelium and differentiate into endothelial cells. Altered EPC level and function have been described in various inflammatory diseases and have been shown to augment vasculogenesis in murine models. Previous studies of EPC in the context of Crohn's disease (CD) have yielded conflicting results.
  
  
  
  To determine whether the circulating levels of EPCs are changed in the context of CD.
  
  
  
  CD patients and healthy controls were recruited. Disease activity was assessed by CDAI. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and EPC numbers evaluated by FACS analysis using anti-CD34, anti-VEGF receptor-2, anti-CD133, and anti-CD45 markers.
  
  
  
  Eighty-three subjects, including 32 CD patients and 51 controls were recruited, including 19 (59.4 %) and 23 (45 %) males (p = 0.26), aged 34.8 ± 14.9 and 43.3 ± 18.5 years (p = 0.64), in cases and controls, respectively. Mean CDAI was 147 ± 97, disease duration was 12.7 ± 11.1 years, and 28 (87.5 %) were receiving biologics for a mean duration of 21.7 ± 16.8 months. The mean level of peripheral EPCs in CD patients was 0.050 ± 0.086 percent and 0.007 ± 0.013 % in controls (p < 0.01). There was no significant correlation between EPC levels and age (r = -0.13, p = 0.47), CDAI (r = -0.26, p = 0.15), disease duration (r = -0.04, p = 0.84), or duration of treatment with biologics (r = 0.004, p = 0.99).
  
  
  
  EPCs are elevated in patients with CD. Further studies are needed to examine the function of EPCs and their possible role as a marker of disease severity or therapeutic response.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, Belinson Campus, 39 Jabotinski Street, 49100, Petah Tikva, Israel. dboltin@gmail.com.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. dboltin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Doron
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boltin
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, HaSharon Campus, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Zvi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kamenetsky
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Laboratory, Department of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Tsachi Tsadok
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Perets
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, Belinson Campus, 39 Jabotinski Street, 49100, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Yifat
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Snir
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, HaSharon Campus, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sapoznikov
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, HaSharon Campus, Petah Tikva, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Hemda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmilovitz-Weiss
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Jacob Nadav
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Ablin
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, Belinson Campus, 39 Jabotinski Street, 49100, Petah Tikva, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dickman
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, Belinson Campus, 39 Jabotinski Street, 49100, Petah Tikva, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaron
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niv
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D062072:Patient Acuity; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D001688:Biological Products; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
keywords: Bone marrow; Crohn’s disease; Endothelial progenitor cell; Inflammatory bowel disease; Stem cell