Endothelial progenitor cells: origin and role of angiogenesis in cardiovascular diseases

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are the cells that play a key role in maintaining vascular integrity and repairing endothelial damage. It has been shown that EPCs can differentiate into mature endothelial cells and are also capable of producing various regulatory growth factors and cytokines. There are many studies focusing on the associations between coronary artery disease and circulating EPCs. However, it is still challenging to use EPCs for the development of diagnostic and treatment algorithms in cardiovascular diseases. This review presents data on EPCs subtypes, methods for obtaining them, biological characteristics of cell populations, and the factors of EPCs mobilization to the site of injury in cardiovascular diseases.