Endothelial progenitor cells are suppressed in anemic patients with acute coronary syndrome

Aya Solomon, Arnon Blum, Aviva Peleg, Eli I. Lev, Dorit Leshem-Lev, Yonathan Hasin

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24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Anemia is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in acute coronary syndrome. Endothelial progenitor cells are bone marrow-derived cells that are mobilized into the circulation in response to ischemia. The number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells increases within days of acute coronary syndrome. There is no confirmation regarding the correlation between the occurrence of anemia and the deficiency in endothelial progenitor cells in patients with acute coronary syndrome. The correlation between chronic anemia and endothelial progenitor cells in patients with acute coronary syndrome was investigated. Methods: Endothelial progenitor cells were examined in 26 patients with acute coronary syndrome. Fifteen patients had chronic nonprogressive anemia, and 11 patients had a normal blood count. Blood samples were drawn on the first day of admission and 4 to 7 days later. Mononuclear cells were separated and cultured on fibronectin-coated plates with EndoCult medium (StemCell Technologies, Vancouver, BC, Canada) for 5 days. Colony forming unit count and a migration assay were performed at each time point. Results: Baseline colony forming unit in the non-anemic group was higher than in the anemic group (P <.0001). There was a highly significant correlation between admission hemoglobin and colony forming unit count (R = 0.83, P <.0001). Colony forming units increased in both groups on the second measurement but to a lower extent in the anemic group (P =.0004). The migration assay in the non-anemic group was higher than in the anemic group at baseline (P =.017) and 4 to 7 days later (P =.0054). Conclusion: Patients with acute coronary syndrome with anemia demonstrate a reduced number of peripheral endothelial progenitor cells with impaired function, possibly representing a lower capacity for vascular healing. These phenomena may partly explain the poor prognosis observed in patients with acute coronary syndrome and anemia.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)604-611
Number of pages8
JournalAmerican Journal of Medicine
Volume125
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2012

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: Supported in part by the Adar Foundation for Research in Cardiology, Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Medicine.

Funding

Funding: Supported in part by the Adar Foundation for Research in Cardiology, Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Medicine.

FundersFunder number
Adar Foundation for Research in Cardiology

    Keywords

    • Acute coronary syndrome
    • Anemia
    • Endothelial progenitor cells

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