Abstract: Objective To investigate induction of endothelial progenitor cell（EPC）from peripheral blood. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMCs） were isolated from healthy volunteers using density gradient centrifugation. They were suspended with EGM-2 medium and cultured in 6-well plate which was precoated with fibronectin. During cultivation, adherent cells were kept on observing and then examined by immunofluorescence staining for characteristic while flow cytometry for cell cycle and surface markers such as CD34、CD133、CD31、VEGFR2 and CD14. Results Adherent cells turned slenderness gradually, accounting for 4.62%~5.47% of PBMCs. Almost all of them were stayed at G0/G1 stage, with a proliferation index about 1.20%±0.18%. They began to uptake acLDL and exhibit lectin binding capability simultaneously from the fifth day and then form enough Ⅷ factor related antigen on day 9. The expression of EPC related surface markers including CD34、CD133、CD31、VEGFR2 、CD14 were 0.19%±0.06%、1.67%±0.52%、61.56%±5.57% 70.29%±7.37% and 89.31%±4.11% respectively. All these indicated that adhesion cells were differentiating EPC. Conclusion Under specific condition, it is possible to induce EPC from PBMCs directly.

Key words: Peripheral blood mononuclear cell, Endothelial progenitor cell, Differentiation