Endothelial Progenitor Cells in the Pathogenesis
& Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension
Acta Biomedica Lovaniensia, No. 413
By Glenn Marsboom
October 2007
Leuven University Press
Distributed By Coronet Books
ISBN: 9789058676573 
113 pages, Illustrated, 6 1/8 x 9 1/2"
$95.00 Paper Original
List of abbreviations
1. Introduction 1.1 Pulmonary hypertension
1.1.1 Definitionn of pulmonary hypertension
1.1.2 Classification of pulmonary hypertension
1.1.3 Causes and prevalence of PH
1.1.4 Pathophysiology of PH
1.1.5 Cell types involved in PH
1.1.6 Signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of PH
1.1.7 Current therapeutic options for PH
1.1.8 Animal models to study PH
1.2 Endothelial progenitor cells
1.2.1 Vasulogenesis
1.2.2 Angiogenesis
1.2.3 Discovery of vascular progenitor cells in adults
1.2.4 EPC dysfunction in human disease
1.2.5 EPC transplantation to treat endothelial dysfunction
1.2.6 Characterisation of human EPCs
1.2.7 Characterisation of murine EPCs/> 1.3 Role of EPCs in PH
1.3.1 Mobilization of bone marrow cells during PH
1.3.2 Functionality of EPCs during PH
1.3.3 EPC-based therapy for PH
2. Aims
3. Methods 3.1 Assessment op PH
3.1.1 Invasive hemodynamic measurements
3.1.2 Hematocrit
3.1.3 Fractional heart weights
3.2 Monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension
3.3 Hypoxia-induced Pulmonary Hypertension
3.4 Bone marrow transplantation
3.5 Immunohistochemistry
3.6 EPC isolation
3.7 EPC characterisation, quantification and phenotypic analysis
3.7.1 Characterisation of in vitro cultured EPCs
3.7.2 Analysis of EPC number
3.7.3 EPC function in vitro
3.8 EPC cell transfer in vivo
3.8.1 Hindlimb ischemia model
3.8.2 EPC transfer for PH
3.9 Statistical analysis
4. Results 4.1 Monocrotaline model for PH
4.1.1 Monocrotaline injection in mice
4.1.2 Monocrotaline pyrrole injection in mice
4.2 The chronic hypoxia model of PH
4.3 Endogenous homing of EPCs during chronic hypoxia
4.4 EPC characterisation and enumeration 4.4.1 Characterisation of EPC phenotype
4.4.2 EPC enumeration
4.4.3 EPC functionality in vitro
4.4.4 EPC functionality in vivo
5. Discussion 5.1 Monocrotaline (pyrrole) model of PH in mice
5.1.1 Monocrotaline injections to induce PH
5.1.2 Monocrotaline pyrrole injection to induce PH
5.2 Endogenous mobilization of EPCs during PH
5.3 EPC characterisation and enumeration
5.4 EPC functionality in vitro and in vivo
5.5 Possible explanations for EPC dysfunction in CHx mice
5.6 EPC transfer to treat chronic hypoxia-induced PH
5.7 Limitations
5.8 Conclusions
6. Summary and perspectives
7. Bibliography
Summary/Samenvatting
Curriculum vitae
Medical Science; Cardiology