Tissue regeneration using endothelial colony-forming cells: promising cells for vascular repair

• Published in: Pediatric research Vol. 83; no. 1-2; pp. 283 - 290
• Main Authors: Banno, Kimihiko, Yoder, Mervin C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.01.2018
• Subjects: 631/61/2035; 631/61/490; 631/61/51/1844; 692/4019/592/75; Animals; Brain Diseases - therapy; Cell Proliferation; Cells, Cultured; Clinical Trials as Topic; Endothelial Cells - cytology; Endothelium, Vascular - metabolism; Fetal Blood - cytology; Humans; Inflammation; Kidney Diseases - therapy; Lung Diseases - therapy; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Models, Animal; Neoplasms - therapy; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Regeneration; Regenerative Medicine - methods; Retinal Diseases - therapy; review; Stem Cells - cytology; Umbilical Cord - cytology
• ISSN: 0031-3998; 1530-0447; 1530-0447
• DOI: 10.1038/pr.2017.231

Repairing and rebuilding damaged tissue in diseased human subjects remains a daunting challenge for clinical medicine. Proper vascular formation that serves to deliver blood-borne nutrients and adequate levels of oxygen and to remove wastes is critical for successful tissue regeneration. Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC) represent a promising cell source for revascularization of damaged tissue. ECFCs are identified by displaying a hierarchy of clonal proliferative potential and by pronounced postnatal vascularization ability in vivo . In this review, we provide a brief overview of human ECFC isolation and characterization, a survey of a number of animal models of human disease in which ECFCs have been shown to have prominent roles in tissue repair, and a summary of current challenges that must be overcome before moving ECFC into human subjects as a cell therapy.