Endothelial progenitor cells in chronic kidney disease

The adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients is essential for proper tissue function and survival. During evolution, blood vessels arose to fulfil these fundamental tasks of life. Not surprisingly, the integrity of the vascular system is crucial also for repair of injured tissue, and the imbalance in growth and/or preservation of blood vessels contribute to the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. In 1997, Asahara et al. described human peripheral blood cells that differentiate into mature endothelial cells and form new blood vessels in vivo [2]. Until then, it was thought that postnatal formation of blood vessels results exclusively from proliferation and remodelling of the pre-existing vascular network, a process referred to as angiogenesis. After this first report, many laboratories published their findings on identification and isolation of circulating primitive endothelial precursors or endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that participate in vasculogenesis, i.e. the de novo formation of blood vessels. Meanwhile, the role of EPCs in vascular and tissue regeneration and their therapeutic prospective in regenerative medicine has been intensively studied.