Key result
Reduced and impaired endothelial progenitor cells in diabetes show potential as biomarkers for vascular complications.
Why the study?
Strict glycaemic control strategies do not always prevent diabetic vascular complications, creating a need for reliable biomarkers capable of predicting vascular complications in patients with diabetes.
Endothelial progenitor cells may serve as valuable biomarkers for predicting the onset and progression of cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients.
May inform EPC biomarker research in diabetes; leaves open prospective validation before any clinical adoption.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) constitutes a chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose which can also lead to the so-called diabetic vascular complications (DVCs), responsible for most of the morbidity, hospitalizations and death registered in these patients. Currently, different approaches to prevent or reduce DM and its DVCs have focused on reducing blood sugar levels, cholesterol management or even changes in lifestyle habits. However, even the strictest glycaemic control strategies are not always sufficient to prevent the development of DVCs, which reflects the need to identify reliable biomarkers capable of predicting further vascular complications in diabetic patients. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), widely known for their potential applications in cell therapy due to their regenerative properties, may be used as differential markers in DVCs, considering that the number and functionality of these cells are affected under the pathological environments related to DM. Besides, drugs commonly used with DM patients may influence the level or behaviour of EPCs as a pleiotropic effect that could finally be decisive in the prognosis of the disease. In the current review, we have analysed the relationship between diabetes and DVCs, focusing on the potential use of EPCs as biomarkers of diabetes progression towards the development of major vascular complications. Moreover, the effects of different drugs on the number and function of EPCs have been also addressed.
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Benítez-Camacho et al. (2023) conducted a review in Diabetes mellitus and diabetic vascular complications. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) was evaluated. Endothelial progenitor cells exhibit reduced numbers and impaired functionality in diabetes mellitus, highlighting their potential utility as biomarkers for predicting diabetic vascular complications.
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