Endothelial progenitor cells and peripheral neuropathy in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Ioanna Eleftheriadou; Natalia Dimitrakopoulou; Nikolitsa Kafasi; Anastasios Tentolouris; Aglaia Dimitrakopoulou; Ioanna A Anastasiou; Iordanis Mourouzis; Edward Jude; Nikolaos Tentolouris

doi:10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2019.107517

Endothelial progenitor cells and peripheral neuropathy in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus

J Diabetes Complications. 2020 Apr;34(4):107517. doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2019.107517. Epub 2020 Jan 7.

Authors

Ioanna Eleftheriadou¹, Natalia Dimitrakopoulou², Nikolitsa Kafasi³, Anastasios Tentolouris², Aglaia Dimitrakopoulou³, Ioanna A Anastasiou², Iordanis Mourouzis⁴, Edward Jude⁵, Nikolaos Tentolouris⁶

Affiliations

¹ Diabetes Center, First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece; Diabetic Foot Clinic, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
² Diabetes Center, First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
³ Department of Immunology and Histocompatibility, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
⁴ Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
⁵ Tameside General Hospital, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancashire, UK.
⁶ Diabetes Center, First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: ntentol@med.uoa.gr.

PMID: 31928893
DOI: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2019.107517

Abstract

Aims: To examine for differences in circulating progenitor cells (CPCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

Methods: A total of 105 participants were included: 50 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and DPN, 30 patients with T2DM without DPN and 25 healthy individuals. CPCs and 6 different EPCs phenotypes were assessed with flow cytometry. We also measured plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), vascular cell adhesion protein-1 (VCAM-1), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM) and tumor necrosis factor a (TNFa).

Results: No difference was observed in the number of CPCs among the 3 groups. Patients with DPN had higher numbers of all 6 EPCs phenotypes when compared with patients without DPN and higher number of 5 EPCs phenotypes when compared with healthy individuals. Plasma VEFG, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and TNFa levels did not differ among the 3 groups. Patients with DPN had lower SDF-1 levels in comparison with healthy individuals.

Conclusion: Circulating EPCs are increased while SDF-1 levels are decreased in the presence of DPN. Our findings suggest that DPN may be associated with impaired trafficking of EPCs and impaired EPCs homing to the injured endothelium.

Keywords: Circulating endothelial cells; Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Endothelial progenitor cells; Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Publication types

Observational Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Case-Control Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / blood
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / complications
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / pathology*
Diabetic Neuropathies / blood
Diabetic Neuropathies / complications
Diabetic Neuropathies / pathology*
Endothelial Progenitor Cells / pathology*
Female
Flow Cytometry
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / blood
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / etiology
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / pathology