Circulating Bone Marrow-Derived CD45−/CD34+/CD133+/VEGF+ Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Adults with Crohn’s Disease

Background Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are bone marrow-derived stem cells able to migrate to sites of damaged endothelium and differentiate into endothelial cells. Altered EPC level and function have been described in various inflammatory diseases and have been shown to augment vasculogenesis in murine models. Previous studies of EPC in the context of Crohn’s disease (CD) have yielded conflicting results.