title: Endothelial Progenitor Cell Mobilization in Preterm Infants With Sepsis Is Associated With Improved Survival.
abstract: Microvascular dysfunction plays a key role in the pathology of sepsis, leading to multi-organ failure, and death. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (cEPCs) are critically involved in the maintenance of the vascular homeostasis in both physiological and pathological contexts. In this study, concentration of cEPCs in preterm infants with sepsis was determined to recognize whether the EPC mobilization would affect the clinical outcome of infantile sepsis. One hundred and thirty-three preterm infants (81 with sepsis and 52 without sepsis) were enrolled in this study. The release of EPCs in circulation was first quantified. Thereafter, these cells were cultivated and biological features of these cells such as, proliferation and colony forming efficiency were analyzed. The levels of chemoattractant cytokines were also measured in infants. In mouse models of sepsis, effects of VEGF and SDF-1 as well as anti-VEGF and anti-SDF-1 were evaluated in order to shed light upon the role which the EPC mobilization plays in the overall survival of septic animals. Circulating EPCs were significantly higher in preterm infants with sepsis than in the non-sepsis group. Serum levels of VEGF, SDF-1, and Angiopoietin-2 were also higher in preterm infants with sepsis than in control non-sepsis. In the animal experiments, injection of VEGF and SDF-1 prompted the mobilization of EPCs, leading to an improvement in survival whereas injection of anti-VEGF and anti-SDF-1 was associated with significant deterioration of survival. Overall, our results demonstrated the beneficial effects of EPC release in preterm infants with sepsis, with increased mobilization of these cells was associated with improved survival. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3299-3307, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Siavashi
authors.affiliation: Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Simin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asadian
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Paramedicine, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taheri-Asl
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Samaneh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keshavarz
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zamani-Ahmadmahmudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Mahdi
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5746-9593
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nassiri
mesh_terms: D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D019650:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D015996:Survival Rate
keywords: ENDOTHELIAL PROGENITOR CELL; INFANT; SEPSIS