Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) limits survival after heart transplantation. CAV is caused by damage to the allograft endothelium, resulting in occlusive intimal lesions. Administration of ex vivo cultured early endothelial progenitor cells (eEPCs) enhances endothelial repair and inhibits intimal hyperplasia. However, engraftment rates of eEPCs remain low. We examined changes in eEPC adhesion molecule expression during ex vivo cultivation, and how these changes affect their ability to adhere.\nCompared to their parent cell population (freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMCs), eEPCs had decreased expression of integrins necessary to form firm adhesions with endothelial cells. Despite this eEPCs showed an enhanced ability to adhere under static conditions compared to PBMCs. However, under conditions of physiological flow, eEPC rolling adhesion was reduced compared to PBMCs. We hypothesize that low eEPC retention rates observed in vivo may be due to impaired eEPC rolling resulting from ex vivo culture.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Jessica L. Prodger
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3153738760