LAUSR

Putative endothelial progenitor cells (pEPCs) may be identified by the expression of combinations of cell surface antigenic markers, including haematopoietic stem cell markers CD34, CD117, CD133 and/or the endothelial cell marker kinase insert domain receptor (KDR), in different combinations [1, 2]. However, since the discovery of “putative” endothelial progenitor cells over 20 years ago by Asahara [3], debate is still ongoing with regard to the precise nomenclature and best method used to detect and measure this population of cells [1, 2]. Ten years ago, we demonstrated that patients with type 2 diabetes have significantly lower levels of a range of pEPCs compared to healthy controls [4]. This generalised reduction of pEPCs has also been observed by others [5, 6]. Furthermore, levels of circulating progenitor cells have been shown to negatively correlate with the presence of diabetic complications [4, 5], as well as predicting microvascular and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetic patients [4, 7, 8]. However, to date, no study has specifically examined whether baseline pEPC levels are associated with long-term (>10 years) mortality in type 2 diabetes patients.