Associations Between Inflammation, Cardiovascular Regenerative Capacity, and Cardiovascular Events: A Cohort Study

Objective: Circulating progenitor cells possess immune modulatory properties and might mitigate inflammation that is characteristic of patients with coronary artery disease. We hypothesized that patients with fewer circulating progenitor cells (CPCs) will have higher inflammatory markers and worse outcomes. Approach and Results: Patients with stable coronary artery disease were enrolled in a prospective study enumerating CPCs as CD (cluster of differentiation)-34–expressing mononuclear cells (CD34+) and inflammation as levels of IL (interleukin)-6 and high-sensitivity CRP (C-reactive protein) levels. Patients were followed for 5 years for the end points of death and myocardial infarction with repeat inflammatory biomarkers measured after a median of 2 years. In the entire cohort of 392 patients, IL-6 and high-sensitivity CRP levels remained unchanged (0.3±2.4 pg/mL and 0.1±1.0 mg/L; P =0.45) after 2 years. CPC counts (log-transformed) were inversely correlated with the change in IL-6 levels (r, −0.17; P Conclusions: Reduced cardiovascular regenerative capacity is independently associated with progressive inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease that in turn is associated with poor outcomes. Graphic Abstract: A graphic abstract is available for this article.