Experimental study on dynamics and biological significancd of endothelial progenitor cell in pan-vasculitis associated with Kawasaki disaase

川崎病（Kawasaki disease， KD）是一种急性发热性疾病，以影响婴幼儿的全身性血管炎为特征。最近有报道称，在KD中，内皮功能障碍即使在慢性期也持续存在，成为动脉粥样硬化的危险因素之一。在本研究中，为了评估内皮祖细胞（endothelial progenitor cell， EPC）对受损内皮细胞修复和再生的动力学和生物学意义，我们研究了改进的KD模型动物循环EPCs测量方法的有效性。正如我们之前报道的那样，在动物模型中，严重的冠状动脉泛血管炎以及KD是由马血清诱导的。使用带有CD31和AC133标记物的FACS分析，即使在小鼠的少量血液中也可以测量EPCs。KD动物模型急性期血中EPCs明显升高。此外，即使在恢复期，循环EPCs值仍较高。急性期甚至恢复期内皮细胞层和亚内皮细胞层均可见cd31阳性的内皮样细胞。这些结果表明，外周血EPCs的动态变化很好地反映了KD动物模型内皮层EPCs的组织学动态。

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile disorder and is characterized by systemic vasculitis that affects infants and young children. Recently, it has been reported, in KD, that endothelial dysfunction continued even in the chronic stage, resulting into being one of the risk factors for developing atherosclerosis. In this study, for evaluating the dynamics and biological significant of endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) for repairment and regeneration of endothelial cells damaged, we studied an efficacy of the improved methods for measuring the circulating EPCs in the KD model animal. The severe coronary pan-vasculitis as well as in KD, in the animal models, was induced by the administration of horse serum as we previously reported. It was possible to measure the EPCs even in the small amount of blood from the mouse, using the FACS analysis with the markers of CD31 and AC133. EPCs in the blood significantly increased in the KD animal models in the acute stage. Furthermore, circulating EPCs were still higher in the value even in the convalescent stage. CD31-positive EPC-like cells were histologically revealed in the endothelial cell layer and sub-endothelial layer in the acute stage, and even in the convalescent stage. From these results, it was revealed that the dynamic changes of EPCs in the peripheral blood indicated well the histological dynamics of EPCs in the endothelial layer in the KD animal model.