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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Coronary Progenitor Cells and Soluble Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Prognosis after Coronary Angioplasty
Published on: January 28, 2020
Circulating CD31+/annexin V+ apoptotic microparticles correlate with coronary endothelial function in patients with
Nikos Werner1, Sven Wassmann, Patrick Ahlers
1Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Bonn, Germany. georg.nickenig@ukb.uni-bonn.de
Insights
Endothelial cell apoptosis, measured by circulating microparticles, predicts endothelial dysfunction in coronary artery disease patients. This finding offers new avenues for cardiovascular risk assessment and treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Cell Biology
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Endothelial dysfunction is a key predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
- Endothelial cell apoptosis is a potential contributing factor to endothelial dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between endothelial cell apoptosis and endothelial function in humans with coronary artery disease (CAD).
- To determine if circulating apoptotic microparticles can predict endothelial dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Invasive assessment of endothelial-dependent vasodilation using quantitative coronary angiography during acetylcholine infusion in 50 CAD patients.
- Quantification of circulating CD31+/annexin V+ apoptotic microparticles via flow cytometry in peripheral blood.
Main Results:
- Increased counts of apoptotic microparticles positively correlated with impaired coronary endothelial function.
- Multivariate analysis confirmed that elevated apoptotic microparticle counts predict severe endothelial dysfunction, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Endothelial-dependent vasodilation in CAD patients is significantly influenced by the degree of endothelial cell apoptosis.
- Circulating CD31+/annexin V+ apoptotic microparticles serve as a measurable indicator of endothelial apoptosis.
- These findings may enhance cardiovascular risk assessment and inform future therapeutic strategies for CAD.
Objective:
Endothelial dysfunction predicts morbidity and mortality in patients at cardiovascular risk. Endothelial function may be decisively influenced by the degree of endothelial cell apoptosis.
Methods And Results:
To test this hypothesis in humans, endothelial-dependent vasodilatation was invasively assessed in 50 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) by quantitative coronary angiography during intracoronary acetylcholine infusion. Flow cytometry was used to assess endothelial cell apoptosis by quantification of circulating CD31+/annexin V+ apoptotic microparticles in peripheral blood. Increased apoptotic microparticle counts positively correlated with impairment of coronary endothelial function. Multivariate analysis revealed that increased apoptotic microparticle counts predict severe endothelial dysfunction independent of classical risk factors, such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, diabetes, age, or sex.
Conclusions:
In patients with CAD, endothelial-dependent vasodilatation closely relies on the degree of endothelial cell apoptosis, which is readily measurable by circulating CD31+/annexin V+ apoptotic microparticles. These findings possibly provide new options for risk assessment and may have implications for future treatment strategies of CAD.
