Diabetes alters homing efficiency of CACs.

<p>(A) Scheme for testing homing efficiency of diabetic CACs to the BM. Male C57BL/6-Tg(CAG-EGFP) mice were made diabetic by STZ injections. After 8 months of diabetes, 10,000 CACs were isolated from BM of diabetic and control GFP⁺ mice, and injected into the vitreous of healthy mice. Seven days post injection the BM and retinas were collected and analyzed by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy for presence of GFP⁺ CACs. (B) Control or diabetic GFP⁺ CACs (green) injected into the vitreous of mice with healthy retinal vasculature stained red using anti-collagen IV antibody. Quantitation of area of green CACs observed in confocal retinal images is shown. Scale bars are 50 μm, N = 10–12. (C) Quantification of GFP⁺ cells from bone marrow of tibia and femurs of recipient mice shows homing of diabetic GFP⁺ CACs to the recipient bone marrow was significantly lower compared to control GFP⁺ CACs. N = 4–6. (D) Diabetes significantly alters expression of integrins β2 and β3 on diabetic CACs in blood. N = 3, * p< 0.05, ** p<0.01.