Oxidized low-density lipoprotein alters endothelial progenitor cell populations

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is critical to atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemia. Bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are important to preventing atherosclerosis, and significantly decreased in hyperlipidemia. This study was to demonstrate ox-LDL and hyperlipidemia could exhibit similar effect on EPC population and the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS production in BM and blood was significantly increased in male C57BL/6 mice with intravenous ox-LDL treatment, and in hyperlipidemic LDL receptor knockout mice with 4-month high-fat diet. ROS formation was effectively blocked with overexpression of antioxidant enzymes or N-acetylcysteine treatment. In hyperlipidemic and ox-LDL-treated mice, c-Kit(+)/CD31(+) cell number in BM and blood, and Sca-1(+)/Flk-1(+) cell number in blood, not in BM, were significantly decreased, which were not affected by inhibiting ROS production, while blood CD34(+)/Flk-1(+) cell number was significantly increased that was prevented with reduced ROS formation. However, blood CD34(+)/CD133(+) cell number increased in ox-LDL-treated mice, while decreased in hyperlipidemic mice. These data suggested that ox-LDL produced significant changes in BM and blood EPC populations similar (but not identical) to chronic hyperlipidemia with predominantly ROS-independent mechanism(s).