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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
Assessing Stem Cell DNA Integrity for Cardiac Cell Therapy
Published on: January 25, 2019
In vitro functional comparison of therapeutically relevant human vasculogenic progenitor cells used for cardiac cell
Yan Zhang1, Serena Wong, Jessica Laflèche
1Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Expandable CD133(+) cells from peripheral blood show superior vasculogenic potential compared to other progenitor cells. Intercellular interactions enhance their therapeutic efficacy for cardiac repair.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Stem Cell Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Cardiac cell therapy shows promise, but direct comparisons of different stem/progenitor cell populations are lacking.
- Peripheral blood CD133(+) cells represent a potential cell source for cardiac repair.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the expansion of peripheral blood CD133(+) cells.
- To compare the functional properties of expanded CD133(+) cells with other human progenitor cell populations in vitro.
Main Methods:
- Peripheral blood CD133(+) cells were generated via serial expansion or 14-day culture.
- Phenotypic, migratory, and vasculogenic properties were assessed in vitro.
- Comparisons were made against four commonly used progenitor cell types.
Main Results:
- Serial expansion yielded an 11-fold increase in CD133(+) cells.
- Expanded CD133(+) cells demonstrated superior in vitro vasculogenic potential compared to other populations.
- Enhanced migration of CD133(+) progenitors was observed with co-culture, suggesting the importance of intercellular interactions.
Conclusions:
- Expandable CD133(+) cells can be generated from peripheral blood.
- The CD133 marker is associated with enhanced in vitro vasculogenic potency, beneficial for ischemic heart conditions.
- Intercellular interactions are crucial for improving the therapeutic efficacy of cell transplantation.
Objective:
In cardiac cell therapy almost every cell type tested experimentally has yielded some benefit. However, there is a lack of studies directly comparing the function of various stem/progenitor cell populations. This study describes the expansion of peripheral blood CD133(+) cells and compares their functional properties with those of other commonly used human progenitor cell populations.
Methods:
CD133(+) cells were generated from the CD133(-) fraction of peripheral blood, either serially (pooled-derived) or after 14 days of culture (derived). Their phenotypic, migratory, and vasculogenic properties were compared with those of 4 commonly used progenitor cell populations in vitro.
Results:
Serial expansion resulted in an 11-fold increase in the number of CD133(+) cells. The proportion of derived CD133(+) cells collected between 0 and 8 days also expressing CD34 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 was similar (approximately 60%, P = .41). Adherent, 4-day cultured endothelial progenitor cells demonstrated enhanced migration compared with each of the other 5 cell populations (all P < or = .002). The migration of derived CD133(+) progenitors was enhanced by coculture with CD133(-) cells or their supernatant (P < .05). In vitro vasculogenesis assays revealed that derived and pooled-derived CD133(+) cells had superior vasculogenic potential compared with other progenitor populations (P < or = .03).
Conclusions:
A novel source of expandable CD133(+) cells can be generated from the CD133(-) fraction of peripheral blood. The CD133 phenotypic marker translates into the cell being vasculogenically more potent in vitro, which could be beneficial to inducing vasculogenesis in the ischemic heart. Furthermore, intercellular interactions appear important for improving the therapeutic efficacy of cell transplantation.
