Circulating stromal osteonectin-positive progenitor cells and stenotic coronary atherosclerosis.

The level of circulating stromal progenitor cells carrying osteonectin (ON), a marker of osteogenic differentiation, was evaluated by flow cytometry in blood of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Ninety-nine patients with CAD were included into the study. Coronary angiography of all patients showed critical stenosis of at least 2 coronary arteries or their major branches.

Circulating bone marrow stem/progenitor cells in vascular atherogenesis and in the noninvasive diagnosis of coronary stenosis.

Using autopsy specimens and clonal technique, the authors showed that hematopoietic and stromal stem colony-forming units are present in human atheromatous vascular intima. Stromal colony-forming units were also detected in the mononuclear fraction of the blood of patients with hyperlipidemia and coronary stenosis, and were not found in the peripheral blood of normolipidemic volunteers. Using flow cytometry, the absence of stromal circulating colony-forming units in healthy volunteers and their presence in coronary patients was confirmed.