title: Endothelial progenitor cells and hypertension: current concepts and future implications.
abstract: The discovery of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), a group of cells that play important roles in angiogenesis and the maintenance of vascular endothelial integrity, has led to considerable improvements in our understanding of the circulatory system and the regulatory mechanisms of vascular homoeostasis. Despite lingering disputes over where EPCs actually originate and how they facilitate angiogenesis, extensive research in the past decade has brought about significant advancements in this field of research, establishing EPCs as an essential element in the pathogenesis of various diseases. EPC and hypertensive disorders, especially essential hypertension (EH, also known as primary hypertension), represent one of the most appealing branches in this area of research. Chronic hypertension remains a major threat to public health, and the exact pathologic mechanisms of EH have never been fully elucidated. Is there a relationship between EPC and hypertension? If so, what is the nature of such relationship-is it mediated by blood pressure alterations, or other factors that lie in between? How can our current knowledge about EPCs be utilized to advance the prevention and clinical management of hypertension? In this review, we set out to answer these questions by summarizing the current concepts about EPC pathophysiology in the context of hypertension, while attempting to point out directions for future research on this subject.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hypertension and Vascular Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Shengyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Hypertension and Vascular Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Wenhao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Maoming People's Hospital, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China.
authors.forename: Cong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Hypertension and Vascular Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China taojungz123@163.com.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: endothelial progenitor cells; hypertension; review