Abstract

Abstract: Endothelial dysfunction is associated with major causes of morbidity and mortality, as well as numerous age-related conditions. The possibility of preserving or even rejuvenating endothelial function offers a potent means of preventing/treating some of the most fearful aspects of aging such as loss of mental, cardiovascular, and sexual function.

Endothelial precursor cells (EPC) provide a continual source of replenishment for damaged or senescent blood vessels. In this review we discuss the biological relevance of circulating EPC in a variety of pathologies in order to build the case that these cells act as an endogenous mechanism of regeneration. Factors controlling EPC mobilization, migration, and function, as well as therapeutic interventions based on mobilization of EPC will be reviewed. We conclude by discussing several clinically-relevant approaches to EPC mobilization and provide preliminary data on a food supplement, Stem-Kine, which enhanced EPC mobilization in human subjects.

Details

Title
Circulating endothelial progenitor cells: a new approach to anti-aging medicine?
Author
Mikirova, Nina A; Jackson, James A; Hunninghake, Ron; Kenyon, Julian; Chan, Kyle WH; Swindlehurst, Cathy A; Minev, Boris; Patel, Amit N; Murphy, Michael P; Smith, Leonard; Alexandrescu, Doru T; Ichim, Thomas E; Riordan, Neil H
Pages
106
Publication year
2009
Publication date
2009
Publisher
BioMed Central
e-ISSN
14795876
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5876-7-106
ProQuest document ID
902257051
Copyright
© 2009 Mikirova et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.