The comparison of EPC count and function in the situation of vascular repair at early and late stage.

To investigate the relationship between the changes in the number and function of the late endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) in peripheral blood and the carotid artery stenosis. 60 cases were selected and were divided into the carotid artery stenosis group of 40 cases (mild stenosis in 20 cases, moderate/severe stenosis in 20 cases), normal control group of 20 cases with the global cerebral angiography. Extracted the blood of femoral artery from the patients during the global cerebral angiography, mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood by density-gradient centrifugation and were cultured to 21 days when they were identified as late endothelial progenitor cells, counted the colony numbers of late EPC. Then the proliferation, migration and adherentce ability of late EPC were determined by the MTT assay, modified Boyden and the HFN culturing plates. The amount of the late EPC colonies(34.30 ± 4.90, 25.38 ± 6.33) were significantly reduced in the patients with carotid artery stenosis compared with the control group (46.00 ± 5.64) (P < 0.05); the function of proliferation, migration, adhesion of the late EPC in patiens with cerebral artery stenosis were significantly lower (P < 0.05), the number and function of late EPC decreased with the worsening of vascular stenosis (P < 0.05). The number of EPC in peripheral blood of patients with the carotid artery stenosis decreased, the function was impaired, and number and function changes of late EPC were negatively correlated with the degree of carotid artery stenosis.