Gender and endothelial progenitor cell number in middle-aged adults
Received 13 August 2008; received in revised form 8 October 2008; accepted 9 October 2008. published online 14 November 2008.
Summary
Background
Between the ages of 45 and 65 years, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease is significantly lower in women compared with men. Circulating bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in vascular repair. Reduced EPC number is predictive of more cardiovascular events. It is currently unknown whether there is a sex-difference in EPC number in middle-aged adults.
Objective
We tested the hypothesis that circulating EPC number is higher in middle-aged women than men.
Methods
Peripheral blood samples were collected from 58 sedentary adults, 29 men (57±1years) and 29 women (58±1years). Mononuclear cells were isolated and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis of cells negative for CD45 was performed for those positive for CD34, and triple positive for CD34, VEGFR-2, and CD133 according to the recommendations of the International Society for Hematotherapy and Graft Engineering.
Results
The number of CD45−/CD34+ and CD45−/CD34+/VEGFR-2+/CD133+ was not significantly different between women and men (0.055±0.006% vs 0.069±0.008% and 0.0013±0.0003% vs 0.0018±0.0004%, respectively).
Conclusions
These results demonstrate no sex-difference in EPC number in middle-age adults. Therefore, it is unlikely that differences in EPC number contribute to the gender-related differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular events in this population.
aIntegrative Vascular Biology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
bDepartment of Medicine, University of Colorado at Denver and the Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO, USA
cDepartment of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Denver, CO, USA
Corresponding author. Integrative Vascular Biology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado at Boulder, UCB 436, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. Tel.: +1 303 724 5440; fax: +1 303 724 5450.
ABSTRACT