Stimulation of Endothelial Progenitor Cells: A New Putative Therapeutic Effect of Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists

• Published in: Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. 1979) Tex. 1979), 2005-04, Vol.45 (4), p.526-529
• Main Authors: Bahlmann, Ferdinand H, de Groot, Kirsten, Mueller, Ottfried, Hertel, Barbara, Haller, Hermann, Fliser, Danilo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers - therapeutic use; Biphenyl Compounds - therapeutic use; Cell Count; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - drug therapy; Double-Blind Method; Endothelial Cells - drug effects; Endothelial Cells - pathology; Female; Hematopoietic Stem Cells - drug effects; Hematopoietic Stem Cells - pathology; Humans; Imidazoles - therapeutic use; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Tetrazoles - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 0194-911X; 1524-4563
• DOI: 10.1161/01.HYP.0000159191.98140.89

The number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) correlates with endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular risk in humans. We explored whether angiotensin II receptor antagonist therapy affects the number of regenerative EPCs in patients with type 2 diabetes. In a prospective double-blind parallel group study, we randomly treated 18 type 2 diabetics with olmesartan (40 mg) or placebo for 12 weeks. We analyzed circulating CD34 hematopoietic progenitor cells (flow cytometry) and EPCs (in vitro assay) before and after therapy. We verified the results in a second open trial treating 20 type 2 diabetics with 300 mg of irbesartan for 12 weeks. The number of EPCs was significantly lower in diabetic patients as compared with 38 age-matched healthy subjects (210±10 versus 258±18 per high-power field; P