Background: In sepsis, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a central role in the repair of endothelial injury by enhancing the processes of re-endothelialization and angiogenesis. However, the surface markers of EPCs have yet to be standardized, and Changes of EPCs in quantities and functions with different infectious organisms are still unclear. This study explored the relationship between the percentages of EPCs and various infectious organisms in patients with sepsis.
Methods: Thirty-nine septic patients and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The percentages of CD34+/KDR+, CD133+/KDR+, CD34+/CD133+/KDR+, CD34+, CD133+, and KDR+ cells in different groups of septic patients and the healthy controls were analyzed by flow cytometry.
Results: The peripheral blood of septic patients had higher percentages of EPCs than that of the healthy controls. There were no significant differences in the percentages of EPCs between the sepsis and septic shock groups, nor between the survival group and the non-survival group. Additionally, the percentages of CD34+/CD133+/KDR+ cells in the gram-positive bacteremia group were significantly higher than those in the gram-negative bacteremia group and the negative blood culture group. The percentage of KDR+ cells in both the gram-positive bacteremia group and the gram-negative bacteremia group was significantly higher than that in the negative blood culture group.
Conclusions: The percentages of circulating EPCs in patients with sepsis are associated with different infectious organisms.
Keywords: Sepsis; endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs); infection; septic patients.