Usefulness of clopidogrel to protect against diabetes-induced vascular damage.

Clopidogrel enhances the levels of endothelial nitric oxide and prostacyclin in tissue culture. We have previously described a marked increase in circulating endothelial cells (CECs), an ex vivo indicator of vascular injury, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We hypothesized that clopidogrel treatment would result in a decrease in CEC number and increased activity of endothelial progenitor cell recruitment signaling pathways in diabetic patients.