Objective: Progenitor cells (PCs) contribute to postnatal neovascularization and tissue repair. Here, we explore the mechanism contributing to decreased diabetic circulating PC number and propose a novel treatment to restore circulating PC number, peripheral neovascularization, and tissue healing.
Research design and methods: Cutaneous wounds were created on wild-type (C57BL/J6) and diabetic (Lepr(db/db)) mice. Blood and bone marrow PCs were collected at multiple time points.
Results: Significantly delayed wound closure in diabetic animals was associated with diminished circulating PC number (1.9-fold increase vs. 7.6-fold increase in lin(-)/sca-1(+)/ckit(+) in wild-type mice; P < 0.01), despite adequate numbers of PCs in the bone marrow at baseline (14.4 +/- 3.2% lin(-)/ckit(+)/sca1(+) vs. 13.5 +/- 2.8% in wild-type). Normal bone marrow PC mobilization in response to peripheral wounding occurred after a necessary switch in bone marrow stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) expression (40% reduction, P < 0.01). In contrast, a failed switch mechanism in diabetic bone marrow SDF-1alpha expression (2.8% reduction) resulted in impaired PC mobilization. Restoring the bone marrow SDF-1alpha switch (54% reduction, P < 0.01) with plerixafor (Mozobil, formerly known as AMD3100) increased circulating diabetic PC numbers (6.8 +/- 2.0-fold increase in lin(-)/ckit(+), P < 0.05) and significantly improved diabetic wound closure compared with sham-treated controls (32.9 +/- 5.0% vs. 11.9 +/- 3% at day 7, P > 0.05; 73.0 +/- 6.4% vs. 36.5 +/- 7% at day 14, P < 0.05; and 88.0 +/- 5.7% vs. 66.7 +/- 5% at day 21, P > 0.05, respectively).
Conclusions: Successful ischemia-induced bone marrow PC mobilization is mediated by a switch in bone marrow SDF-1alpha levels. In diabetes, this switch fails to occur. Plerixafor represents a potential therapeutic agent for improving ischemia-mediated pathology associated with diabetes by reducing bone marrow SDF-1alpha, restoring normal PC mobilization and tissue healing.