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Review
. 2022 Oct 31;8(6):476-487.
eCollection 2022 Dec 29.

Endothelial progenitor cell-derived small extracellular vesicles for myocardial angiogenesis and revascularization

Maher T Al-Omar  1 , Mahmoud T Alnajjar  1 , Ziyad T Ahmed  1 , Faris M I Salaas  1 , Tamim S M Alrefaei  1 , Khawaja H Haider  1
Affiliations
Review

Endothelial progenitor cell-derived small extracellular vesicles for myocardial angiogenesis and revascularization

Maher T Al-Omar et al. J Clin Transl Res. .

Abstract

Background: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been well-studied for their differentiation potential and paracrine activity in vitro and in experimental animal studies. EPCs are the precursors of endothelial cells (ECs) and a rich source of pro-angiogenic factors, and hence, possess enormous potential to treat ischemic heart through myocardial angiogenesis. Their proven safety and efficacy observed during the pre-clinical and clinical studies have portrayed them as a near ideal cell type for cell-based therapy of ischemic heart disease.In response to the chemical cues from the ischemic heart, EPCs from the bone marrow and peripheral circulation home-in to the ischemic myocardium and participate in the intrinsic repair process at the molecular and cellular levels through paracrine activity and EC differentiation. EPCs also release small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) loaded with bioactive molecules as part of their paracrine activity for intercellular communication to participate in the reparative process in the heart.

Aim: This literature review is based on the published data regarding the characteristic features of EPC-derived sEVs and their proteomic and genomic payload, besides facilitating safe and effective repair of the ischemic myocardium. In light of the encouraging published data, translational and clinical assessment of EPC-derived sEVs is warranted. We report the recent experimental animal studies and their findings using EPC-derived sEVs on cardiac angiogenesis and preservation of cardiac function.

Relevance for patients: With the promising results from pre-clinical studies, clinical trials should be conducted to assess the clinical utility of EPC-derived sEVs in the treatment of the ischemic myocardium.

Keywords: angiogenesis; endothelial; endothelial progenitor cells; miRNA; small extracellular vesicles; stem cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Schematic representation of sEVs delivery of payload to the cardiomyocytes after EPC-based cell therapy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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