A cohort study of circulating progenitor cells after ST-segment elevation and non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction in non-diabetic and diabetic patients

Andreas Baumbach; Yu-Xin Cui; Rebecca N Evans; Lucy Culliford; Tom Johnson; Chris A Rogers; Barnaby C Reeves; Chiara Bucciarelli-Ducci; Jessica Harris; Mark Hamilton; Paolo Madeddu

doi:10.3389/fcvm.2022.1011140

A cohort study of circulating progenitor cells after ST-segment elevation and non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction in non-diabetic and diabetic patients

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022 Nov 17:9:1011140. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.1011140. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Andreas Baumbach^{1

2}, Yu-Xin Cui¹, Rebecca N Evans^{1

3}, Lucy Culliford^{1

3}, Tom Johnson¹, Chris A Rogers^{1

3}, Barnaby C Reeves^{1

3}, Chiara Bucciarelli-Ducci^{1

4}, Jessica Harris^{1

3}, Mark Hamilton¹, Paolo Madeddu¹

Affiliations

¹ Bristol Heart Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
² William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
³ Bristol Trials Centre, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
⁴ Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Guys' and St.Thomas NHS Hospitals and School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Background: Myocardial infarction induces elevation of progenitor cells in the circulation, a reparative response inhibited by type-2 diabetes.

Objectives: Determine if myocardial infarct severity and diabetes interactively influence the migratory activity of CD34+/CXCR4+ progenitor cells and if the migratory test predicts cardiac outcomes.

Materials and methods: A longitudinal study was conducted on patients with or without diabetes with a STEMI or NSTEMI. CD34+/CXCR4+ cells were measured in the peripheral blood using flow cytometry, and migratory activity was tested in vitro on cells isolated from samples collected on days 0 and 4 post-infarct. Cardiac function was assessed at three months using cardiac MRI.

Results: Of 1,149 patients screened, 71 (6.3%) were eligible and consented. Fifty had STEMI (16 with diabetes) and 21 NSTEMI (8 with diabetes). The proportion of CD34+/CXCR4+ cells within blood mononuclear cells was 1.96 times higher after STEMI compared with NSTEMI (GMR = 1.96, 95% CI 0.87, 4.37) and 1.55 times higher in patients with diabetes compared to patients without diabetes (GMR = 1.55, 95% CI 0.77, 3.13). In the latter, STEMI was associated with a 2.42-times higher proportion of migrated CD34 + /CXCR4 + cells compared with NSTEMI (GMR = 2.42, 95% CI 0.66, 8.81). In patients with diabetes, the association was the opposite, with a 55% reduction in the proportion of migrated CD34+/CXCR4+ cells. No statistically significant associations were observed between the frequency in peripheral blood or in vitro migration capacity of CD34+/CXCR4+ cells and MRI outcomes.

Conclusion: We document the interaction between infarct and diabetes on the migratory activity of CD34+/CXCR4+ cells. The test did not predict functional outcomes in the studied cohort.

Keywords: cardiac MRI; diabetes mellitus; migration; myocardial infarction; progenitor cells.