Comparison of mesenchymal stromal cells from young healthy donors and patients with severe chronic coronary artery disease

AbstractBackground: It has been questioned whether bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from patients with ischemic heart disease are suitable for use in regenerative stem cell therapy. We compared MSCs from patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) and MSCs from young healthy donors with respect to phenotype, proliferation and endothelial differentiation capacity. Methods: MSCs from 16 young healthy donors and 15 elderly CAD patients were isolated, expanded by ex-vivo cultivation for two cell passages and characterized by flow cytometry, real time PCR and angiogenesis assay. Results: MSCs from healthy donors and CAD patients expressed the same surface markers and had similar proliferation capacity. In both groups VEGF-stimulation significantly increased the expression of the endothelial genes thrombospondin 1, Tie-2 and von Willebrand Factor and induced the capacity to form ring structures on extracellular matrix. Discussion: MSCs from young healthy donors and CAD patients proli...