Circulating Pro-vascular Progenitor Cell Content in Type 2 Diabetes

The chronic inflammation and oxidative stress associated with established type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains a major proponent of ischemic cardiovascular complications. Importantly, the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment plagued by hyperglycemia and oxidative stress hinders pro-vascular progenitor cells from self-renewing and undergoing pro-vascular cell differentiation through a process called “regenerative cell exhaustion”. This phenotype ultimately reduces progenitor cells’ ability to migrate to areas of ischemia and aid in the process of revascularization. Using multi-parametric flow cytometry, we hypothesized that this cellular phenotype, characterized by reduced migration and pro-angiogenic progenitor cell content, could be detected within the peripheral blood of individuals with established T2D. Patients with T2D displayed increased pro-inflammatory granulocyte precursors and reduced circulating progenitor cells with a pro-angiogenic phenotype. This translational work may create the foundation for diagnostic tests that monitor the capacity for revascularization and the efficacy of cellular therapies through a minimally invasive procedure.Ph.D