Abstract:

Aim. Endothelial progenitor cells repair related region by removal of damaged endothelial cells mechanically or replacing endothelial cells via migration from bone marrow to peripheric blood pool with stimulus of cytokines. Previously, it has been shown that number of these cells decrease in chronic stage of stable coronary heart disease, whereas they increase in number in acute coronary syndromes. The aim of this study is to investigate the difference in the number of endothelial progenitor cells among subgroups of acute coronary syndrome (ST elevation myocardial infarction, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris ) in patients hospitalized in coronary intensive care unit. Method. The study data were analysed in two steps. In the first step, it has been investigated whether there were any differences regarding endothelial progenitor cell count among three subgroups of acute coronary syndrome (n=112). In the second step, a further 13 patients who were hospitalized with a prediagnosis of unstabil angina pectoris and subsequently reported to have normal echocardiography and coronary angiography were also enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups; the patients with unstabil angina pectoris of whom no increase in cardiac enzymes detected indicating the absence of any cardiac damage and patients with normal coronary angiography findings constituted the first group (Grup A, n=41) and the patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction of whom an increase in cardiac enzymes detected indicating a documented cardiac damage constituted the second group (Grup B, n=84). We investigated whether there were any differences regarding endothelial progenitor cell count between these two groups. Results. Our results indicate that the number of endothelial progenitor cells did not differ significantly among these three groups in the first step (3.87 ± 2.74, 5.46 ± 6.38 and 3.95 ± 2.94, respectively; p=0.232). The results of the statistical analysis also revealed no differences between Grup A and Grup B regarding EPC counts (3.89 ± 2.81 vs 4.80 ± 5.22; p=0.302). Conclusion. In the light of these data, in coronary heart disease in which resistance to treatment is a topical problem despite improvements in therapeutic modalities, further clinical studies are needed about the number and the functions of these cells in the bone marrow and peripheric blood, their effects on target tissues and the factors regulating them, for theurapeutic use of these cells.

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