Researchers have discovered a protein marker to help identify cells able to repopulate in patients with damaged blood vessels.
Their findings, recently published in Circulation, could lead to new therapies for people with endothelial dysfunction, a type of disorder that contributes to coronary artery disease that may occlude with plaque and lack ability to carry sufficient blood into the heart tissue causing a heart attack.
The researchers analyzed the potential of endothelial cells, which make up the protective inner layer of blood vessels, that express a protein called ABCG2 to make colonies, self-renew and form vessels. These cells could form new blood vessels and contributed to the repair of heart tissue blood vessels after a heart attack.
“By analyzing the genes and proteins in these cells, we identified specific pathways involved in blood vessel formation and tissue regeneration,” said Chang-Hyun Gil, PhD, MS, assistant research professor of surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine and co-first author of the study. “We discovered that ABCG2 involved in blood vessel development are more active in these cells compared to others, suggesting these specific endothelial cells have the potential to be used in repairing damaged blood vessels. AbcCRECs are becoming an important cell type to be considered for use in human patients suffering from a variety of diseases such as peripheral arterial disease, diabetes, diabetic proliferative retinopathy, acute kidney disease and cardiovascular disease.”
