Low levels of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are associated with cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. Early indicators of vascular damage represent independent predictors of CV prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association of EPCs and circulating cytokine levels with vascular damage markers in naive hypertensive patients according to sex and to evaluate the role of EPCs in vascular damage progression. We enrolled 60 subjects; circulating EPCs were determined by cytometric analysis, and serum cytokines were determined by chemiluminescence microarray technology. Endothelial function was estimated with the measurement of the reactive hyperemia index (RHI), arterial stiffness (AS) was evaluated with the measurement of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was determined by a high-resolution ultrasound B-mode system. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after an average follow-up of 3.0 ± 0.6 years. RHI was correlated with EPCs and inversely related to HOMA, TNF-α, IL-6, hs-CRP, and IL-1β. PWV was positively correlated with HOMA, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and hs-CRP, and it was inversely related to EPCs. An inverse relationship was observed between c-IMT and EPCs and e-GFR. EPCs were the major predictor of the RHI and PWV. After adjustment for vascular index basal values and the other covariates, EPCs explained 17.0%, 27.7%, and 10.6% of the variability in ΔRHI, ΔPWV, and Δc-IMT at follow-up, respectively. Our study results support the hypothesis of an etiological link between circulating EPCs and morphofunctional vascular parameters in hypertensive subjects. Of interest, circulating EPCs, after adjusting for possible confounding factors, may indicate vascular damage progression.

低水平的内皮祖细胞 (EPC) 与心血管 (CV) 的发病率和死亡率有关。血管损伤的早期指标代表 CV 预后的独立预测因子。本研究的目的是评估 EPCs 和循环细胞因子水平与不同性别的初次高血压患者血管损伤标志物的可能关联，并评估 EPCs 在血管损伤进展中的作用。我们招收了 60 名受试者；循环EPCs通过细胞计数分析确定，血清细胞因子通过化学发光微阵列技术确定。通过测量反应性充血指数 (RHI) 来估计内皮功能，通过测量颈动脉-股动脉脉搏波速度 (PWV) 评估动脉僵硬度 (AS)，并通过高分辨率超声 B 型系统确定颈动脉内膜中层厚度 (IMT)。在基线和平均随访 3.0 ± 0.6 年后对患者进行评估。RHI 与 EPC 相关，与 HOMA、TNF-α、IL-6、hs-CRP 和 IL-1β 呈负相关。PWV与HOMA、TNF-α、IL-6、IL-1β和hs-CRP呈正相关，与EPCs呈负相关。在 c-IMT 和 EPC 和 e-GFR 之间观察到反比关系。EPC 是 RHI 和 PWV 的主要预测因子。在调整血管指数基础值和其他协变量后，EPC 分别解释了随访时 ΔRHI、ΔPWV 和 Δc-IMT 的 17.0%、27.7% 和 10.6% 的变异性。我们的研究结果支持循环 EPC 与高血压受试者的形态功能血管参数之间存在病因学联系的假设。有趣的是，在调整可能的混杂因素后，循环 EPC 可能表明血管损伤进展。