An effective ex-vivo approach for inducing endothelial progenitor cells from umbilical cord blood CD34+cells.
Transplantation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs)/endothelial cells (ECs) has been used for the treatment of ischemic diseases and hemophilia A, due to their great capacity for producing factor VIII and for repairing vascular damage. We established an effective approach to stimulate the expansion and differentiation of EPCs for potential therapeutic applications.



CD34+cells isolated from human cord blood were cultured in a two-step system for 21 days. The generated adherent cells were characterized via flow cytometry and immunofluorescent staining. Moreover, single-cell clonogenic and tube-forming assays were carried out to evaluate their potential to proliferate and form vessel networks. Furthermore, these cells were transplanted into a mouse model of hepatic sinusoidal endothelium injury by hepatic portal vein injection to investigate their in-vivo behavior.



The two-step culture protocol promoted the expansion and differentiation of human cord blood CD34+cells efficiently, resulting in a large number of adherent cells within 3 weeks. The generated adherent cells were identified as EPCs/ECs based on the expression of CD31, CD144, vWF, and FVIII, and cell numbers showed a 1400-fold increase compared with the initial number. Moreover, these EPCs/ECs were capable of proliferating and establishing colonies as individual cells, and forming tube-like structures. More significantly, tissue examination of mice after transplantation revealed that the injected EPCs/ECs migrated and integrated into the liver, reconstituting the sinusoidal endothelial compartment.



We developed an approach for the generation of cord blood-derived EPCs/ECs on a large scale, characterized them phenotypically, and demonstrated their in-vivo functional capacity. Our approach provides an excellent source of healthy EPCs/ECs for use in cell therapy in a clinical setting.
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China.|Biopharmagen Corp., Suzhou, China.
Meng
M
Qin
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China.
Xin
X
Guan
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China.|Biopharmagen Corp., Suzhou, China.
Huihui
H
Wang
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China.
Yu
Y
Zhang
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China.
Bin
B
Shen
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China.|School of Public Health, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA.
Qingyu
Q
Zhang
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China.|Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, Tuxedo, NY, USA.
Wei
W
Dai
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China.|Department of Pathology, BST-9C, The State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Yupo
Y
Ma
Biopharmaceutical R&D Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, China. yjiang@biopharmagen.com.|Biopharmagen Corp., Suzhou, China. yjiang@biopharmagen.com.
Yongping
Y
Jiang
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D016513:Mice, SCID; D016686:Monocrotaline / Q000633:toxicity; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D061251:Primary Cell Culture; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000099152:Cadherin 5
D015703:Antigens, CD; D015415:Biomarkers; D015820:Cadherins; D003470:Culture Media; D005169:Factor VIII; D016686:Monocrotaline; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D000099152:Cadherin 5
Endothelial progenitor cells; Expansion and differentiation; Hepatic sinusoidal endothelium injury; Human cord blood CD34+ cells; NOD/SCID mice