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Altered circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with keloid
Author(s) -
Zhang G.Y.,
Wu L.C.,
Liao T.,
Chen G.,
Chen Y.H.,
Meng X.C.,
Wang A.Y.,
Chen S.Y.,
Lin K.,
Lin D.M.,
Gao W.Y.,
Li Q.F.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
clinical and experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1365-2230
pISSN - 0307-6938
DOI - 10.1111/ced.12695
Subject(s) - keloid , medicine , progenitor cell , cd34 , vascular endothelial growth factor , flow cytometry , cancer research , vegf receptors , immunology , pathology , stem cell , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
Summary Evidence has suggested that vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ), a crucial growth factor in regulating endothelial progenitor cells ( EPC s), plays a central role in keloid formation. However, the levels of circulating EPC s in patients with keloid have not yet been explored. The aim of this study was to determine the number of circulating EPC s in patients with keloid. Circulating EPC s (defined as CD 45− CD 34+ CD 133+ VEGFR 2+cells) and VEGF levels from 39 patients with keloid and 22 healthy controls ( HC s) were assessed by flow cytometry and ELISA , respectively. EPC s were detectable in the peripheral blood of patients with keloid. The number of circulating EPC s and the levels of plasma VEGF were significantly higher in patients with keloid than in HC s. However, no correlation was found between the number of circulating EPC s and the serum VEGF levels. This study provides the first evidence that EPC s are increased in the peripheral blood of patients with keloid. Understanding the roles of EPC s in keloid fromation may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for keloid.