CD34+ cells and endothelial progenitor cell subpopulations are associated with cerebral small vessel disease burden.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Endothelial progenitor cells are associated with endothelial dysfunction. The present study was designed to investigate the correlation between the populations of circulating CD34-positive cells and endothelial progenitor cells and CSVD burden. Methodology & results: A total of 364 patients with confirmed diagnosis of CSVD were included in this prospective study. Multiple ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that subjects with higher CSVD burden had significantly decreased circulating CD34+ cell level (odds ratio [OR], 0.42; p = 0.034) and significantly increased levels of circulating CD34+CD133+CD309+ and CD34+CD133+ cells (OR 1.07, p = 0.031; OR 1.03, p = 0.001, respectively), compared with patients with lower CSVD burden. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the levels of circulating CD34+ cells, CD34+CD133+CD309+ cells and CD34+CD133+ cells may be used as potential biomarkers to monitor the disease progression of CSVD.