Stem cell therapy for vascular disease

Endothelial dysfunction/loss is a key event in the development of vascular diseases, including native atherosclerosis, angioplasty-induced restenosis, transplant arteriosclerosis, and vein bypass graft atherosclerosis. In challenge to the traditional concept that lost endothelial cells were replaced by neighboring endothelial replication, recent studies have shown that stem cells in blood and the vessel wall have the ability to repair endothelial cells after extensive loss. Concomitantly, accumulating data indicate that stem cell therapy is a promising option for the treatment of vascular diseases and might, in the future, contribute to tissue regeneration, that is, the restoration of endothelium lining the arteries to recover the function of the vascular system. In the present review, we will focus on the progress of stem cell therapy, discuss the mechanisms of stem cell differentiation into endothelial cells, and point out the clinical potential of stem cell therapy in the future.