Relationship between endothelial progenitor cells and vascular endothelial growth factor and its variation with exercise.

Background: The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of programmed physical activity and a single exercise test on the number of CD309+ circulating endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) and their relation to the variation in plasma levels of VEGF in chronic coronary patients.

Methods: 21 patients <75 years with chronic stable coronary artery disease were included. All patients underwent exercise myocardial perfusion SPECT.