ENDOTHELIAL PROGENITOR CELLS – ROLE IN ATHEROGENESIS
Keywords:
Atherosclerosis
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is the most important arterial disease worldwide and the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases. Endothelial dysfunction induced by various cardiovascular risk factors represents a pivotal step in initiation and progression of atherosclerotic vascular diseases.
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) represent an important step in endothelial cell regeneration through direct engraftment and indirect release of angiogenic factors, thus contributing to improving endothelial dysfunction. EPC physiology and the factors that modulate their number and activity are incompletely elucidated.