Exchange transfusion combined with artesunate (ET-AS) as a safe and effective therapy in severe P. falciparum malaria: a case series.

BACKGROUND: the mortality associated with severe malaria due to Plasmodiun falciparum remains high despite improvements in malaria management. Case prensentation: this case series aims to describe the efficacy and safety of the exchange transfusion combined with artesunate (ET-AS) regimen in severe P. falciparum malaria. Eight patients diagnosed with severe P. falciparum malaria were included. All patients underwent ET using the COBE Spectra system. The aimed for a post-exchange hematocrit of 30%. Half the estimated blood volume was removed and replaced using fresh frozen plasma. The regimen was well-tolerated without complications. The parasite clearance time ranged from 1 ~ 5 days. Five patients with cerebral malaria exhibited full improved consciousness within 3 days, while patient2 with hemolysis improved on day 2. Liver function improved within 1 ~ 6 days, and patient 1 and patient 6 showed improvements renal function on days 18 and 19, respectively. The length of intensive care unit stay range from 2 ~ 10 days, and all patients treated with ET-AS remained in the hospital for 3 ~ 19 days. CONCLUSIONS: these preliminary results suggest that ET-AS regimens are a safe and effective therapy for severe P. falciparum malaria and can benefit patients in clinical settings.

Levamisole suppresses adipogenesis of aplastic anaemia-derived bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells through ZFP36L1-PPARGC1B axis.

Aplastic anaemia (AA) is a life-threatening hematopoietic disorder characterized by hypoplasia and pancytopenia with increasing fat cells in the bone marrow (BM). The BM-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from AA are more susceptible to be induced into adipogenic differentiation compared with that from control, which may be causatively associated with the fatty BM and defective hematopoiesis of AA. Here in this study, we first demonstrated that levamisole displayed a significant suppressive effect on the in vitro adipogenic differentiation of AA BM-MSCs. Mechanistic investigation revealed that levamisole could increase the expression of ZFP36L1 which was subsequently demonstrated to function as a negative regulator of adipogenic differentiation of AA BM-MSCs through lentivirus-mediated ZFP36L1 knock-down and overexpression assay. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 beta (PPARGC1B) whose 3'-untranslated region bears adenine-uridine-rich elements was verified as a direct downstream target of ZFP36L1, and knock-down of PPARGC1B impaired the adipogenesis of AA BM-MSCs. Collectively, our work demonstrated that ZFP36L1-mediated post-transcriptional control of PPARGC1B expression underlies the suppressive effect of levamisole on the adipogenic differentiation of AA BM-MSCs, which not only provides novel therapeutic targets for alleviating the BM fatty phenomenon of AA patients, but also lays the theoretical and experimental foundation for the clinical application of levamisole in AA therapy.

ROS-responsive and triple-synergistic mitochondria-targeted polymer micelles for efficient induction of ICD in tumor therapeutics.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) represents a modality of apoptosis distinguished by the emanation of an array of damage-related molecular signals. This mechanism introduces a novel concept in the field of contemporary tumor immunotherapy. The inception of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within tumor cells stands as the essential prerequisite and foundation for ICD induction. The formulation of highly efficacious photodynamic therapy (PDT) nanomedicines for the successful induction of ICD is an area of significant scientific inquiry. In this work, we devised a ROS-responsive and triple-synergistic mitochondria-targeted polymer micelle (CAT/CPT-TPP/PEG-Ce6, CTC) that operates with multistage amplification of ROS to achieve the potent induction of ICD. Utilizing an "all-in-one" strategy, we direct both the PDT and chemotherapeutic units to the mitochondria. Concurrently, a multistage cyclical amplification that caused by triple synergy strategy stimulates continuous, stable, and adequate ROS generation (domino effect) within the mitochondria of cells. Conclusively, influenced by ROS, tumor cell-induced ICD is effectively activated, remodeling immunogenicity, and enhancing the therapeutic impact of PDT when synergized with chemotherapy. Empirical evidence from in vitro study substantiates that CTC micelles can efficiently provoke ICD, catalyzing CRT translocation, the liberation of HMGB1 and ATP. Furthermore, animal trials corroborate that polymer micelles, following tail vein injection, can induce ICD, accumulate effectively within tumor tissues, and markedly inhibit tumor growth subsequent to laser irradiation. Finally, transcriptome analysis was carried out to evaluate the changes in tumor genome induced by CTC micelles. This work demonstrates a novel strategy to improve combination immunotherapy using nanotechnology.

Emodin suppresses adipogenesis of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells from aplastic anemia via increasing TRIB3 expression.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence indicate that enhanced adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) could contribute to the adiposity alteration in marrow microenvironment of aplastic anemia (AA). Identifying small molecule drugs with role in inhibiting adipogenesis of BM-MSCs may represent a novel direction in AA therapy by improving BM-MSCs mediated marrow microenvironment. METHODS: For the purpose, we isolated AA BM-MSCs through whole bone marrow cell culture, evaluated a series of small molecule drugs using the in vitro adipogenic differentiation model of BM-MSCs, and finally focused on emodin, a natural anthraquinone derivative. Subsequently, we systematically investigated the molecular mechanism of emodin in attenuating adipogenic process by means of microarray profiling, bioinformatics analysis and lentivirus-mediated functional studies and rescue assay. RESULTS: We found that emodin presented significantly suppressive effect on the in vitro adipogenic differentiation of AA BM-MSCs. Further mechanistic investigation revealed that emodin could increase the expression of Tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) which exhibited remarkably decreased expression in AA BM-MSCs compared with the normal counterparts and was subsequently demonstrated as a negative regulator in adipogenesis of AA BM-MSCs. Besides, TRIB3 depletion alleviated the suppressive effect of emodin on the adipogenic differentiation of AA BM-MSCs. CONCLUSION: Our findings propose that emodin mediated TRIB3 up-regulation alleviates the adipogenic capacity of AA BM-MSCs, and emodin could serve as a potential therapeutic regimen for AA therapy.

Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are possibly involved in corticosteroid resistance in adult patients with immune thrombocytopenia.

PURPOSE: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by accelerated platelet clearance. Gut dysbiosis was associated with its pathogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Patients with ITP exhibit varying degrees of responsiveness to corticosteroid treatment. Therefore, prognostic indexes for corticosteroid responsiveness in ITP could offer valuable guidance for clinical practices. METHODS: The present study examined the signature of six types of gut-microbiota metabolites and forty-eight types of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors and their clinical significance in patients with ITP. RESULTS: Both patients with good and poor corticosteroid responsiveness exhibited significantly elevated/suppressed secretion of twenty-two cyto(chemo)kins/growth factors in comparison to healthy controls. Additionally, patients with ITP demonstrated a significant decrease in plasma levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), which was found to be negatively correlated to circulating platelet counts, and positively correlated with Interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-18. Notably, patients who exhibited poor response to corticosteroid treatment displayed elevated levels of TMAO and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in comparison to responders. Additionally, we found that the amalgamation of TMAO, bFGF and interleukin (IL)-13 could serve as a valuable prognostic tool for predicting CS responsiveness. CONCLUSION: Patients with ITP were characterized overall by an imbalanced secretion of cyto(cheo)kins/growth factors and inadequate levels of TMAO. The varying degrees of responsiveness to corticosteroid treatment can be attributed to different profiles of basic FGF and TMAO that might be related to overburdened oxidative stress and inflammasome overactivation, and ultimately mediate corticosteroid resistance.

Apicidin confers promising therapeutic effect on acute myeloid leukemia cells via increasing QPCT expression.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy characterized by abnormal cell proliferation, apoptosis repression and myeloid differentiation blockade of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Developing and identifying novel therapeutic agents to reverse the pathological processes of AML are of great significance. Here in this study, we found that a fungus-derived histone deacetylase inhibitor, Apicidin, presents promising therapeutic effect on AML by inhibiting cell proliferation, facilitating apoptosis and inducing myeloid differentiation of AML cells. Mechanistic investigation revealed that QPCT is identified as a potential downstream target of Apicidin, which exhibits significantly decreased expression in AML samples compared with the normal controls and is remarkably up-regulated in AML cells upon Apicidin management. Functional study and rescue assay demonstrated that QPCT depletion further promotes cell proliferation, inhibits apoptosis and impairs myeloid differentiation of AML cells, alleviating the anti-leukemic effect of Apicidin on AML. Our findings not only provide novel therapeutic target for AML, but also lay theoretical and experimental foundation for the clinical application of Apicidin in AML patients.

Chidamide suppresses adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells via increasing REEP2 expression.

Increased propensity of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) toward adipogenic differentiation at the expense of osteogenesis has been implicated in obesity, diabetes, and age-related osteoporosis as well as various hematopoietic disorders. Defining small molecules with role in rectifying the adipo-osteogenic differentiation imbalance is of great significance. Here, we unexpectedly found that Chidamide, a selective histone deacetylases inhibitor, exhibited remarkably suppressive effect on the in vitro induced adipogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs. Multifaceted alterations in the spectrum of gene expression were observed in Chidamide-managed BM-MSCs during adipogenic induction. Finally, we focused on REEP2, which presented decreased expression in BM-MSCs-mediated adipogenesis and was restored by Chidamide treatment. REEP2 was subsequently demonstrated as a negative regulator of adipogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs and mediated the suppressive effect of Chidamide on adipocyte development. Our findings provide the theoretical and experimental foundation for the clinical application of Chidamide for disorders associated with excessive marrow adipocytes.

Long noncoding RNA DANCR confers cytarabine resistance in acute myeloid leukemia by activating autophagy via the miR-874-3P/ATG16L1 axis.

Autophagy is an important mechanism involved in the regulation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) chemoresistance. The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR) exhibits oncogenic activity in several types of human cancers, including AML, but it remains unclear whether it regulates autophagy and chemoresistance in AML. We report here that cytarabine (Ara-C) treatment elevates DANCR expression in human AML cells. In addition, DANCR overexpression confers and its knockdown diminishes Ara-C resistance in human AML cells, suggesting that DANCR positively regulates AML chemoresistance to Ara-C. Moreover, DANCR promotes autophagy in Ara-C-treated human AML cells and acts as a sponge to decrease miR-20a-5p expression, thereby upregulating the expression of ATG16L1, a critical component of the autophagy machinery. Importantly, ATG16L1 silencing abrogates DANCR-promoted autophagy and markedly restores DANCR-conferred Ara-C resistance, suggesting that DANCR promotes MIR-874-3P/ATG16L1 axis-regulated autophagy to confer Ara-C resistance in human AML cells. Together, this study identifies DANCR as a positive regulator of Ara-C resistance in human AML cells, suggesting this lncRNA as a potential target for overcoming Ara-C resistance in AML chemotherapy.

Lactobacillus acidipiscis Induced Regulatory Gamma Delta T Cells and Attenuated Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease involving the central nervous system, and shows a high disability rate. Its pathogenesis is complicated, and there is no good treatment. In recent years, with in-depth studies on the regulation of gastrointestinal flora, the relationship between the mammalian immune system and the intestinal flora has been extensively explored. Changes in the composition and structure of the gastrointestinal flora can affect the characteristics and development of the host immune system and even induce a series of central nervous system inflammation events. The occurrence and development of multiple sclerosis are closely related to the continuous destruction of the intestinal barrier caused by intestinal dysbacteriosis. In this study, we analyzed Lactobacillus acidipiscis in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We found that the amount of L. acidipiscis in the intestinal tract was inversely proportional to the progress of EAE development. In addition, the number of CD4+ FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes of mice increased significantly after the mice were fed with L. acidipiscis, and the differentiation of CD4+ T cells to Th1 and Th17 cells was inhibited. However, the protective effect of L. acidipiscis was lost in γδ T cell-deficient mice and hence was concluded to depend on the presence of regulatory γδ T cells in the intestinal epithelium. Moreover, including L. acidipiscis enhanced the development of Vγ1+γδ T cells but suppressed that of Vγ4+γδ T cells. In summary, our results demonstrated the ability of L. acidipiscis to induce generation of regulatory γδ T cells that suppress the development of the encephalomyelitic Th1 and Th17 cells and the progress of EAE.

HMGB1: an important regulator of myeloid differentiation and acute myeloid leukemia as well as a promising therapeutic target.

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a non-histone nuclear protein which has been intensively studied in various physiological and pathological processes including leukemia. Here in this study, we further demonstrated that HMGB1 presents higher expression in the bone marrow mononuclear cells of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients compared with the normal controls and contributes to the AML pathogenesis and progression by inhibiting apoptosis, facilitating proliferation, and inducing myeloid differentiation blockade of AML cells. Mechanistic investigation revealed that transforming growth factor beta-induced (TGFBI) acts as a potential downstream target of HMGB1 and lentivirus-mediated knockdown of TGFBI expression impaired phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-induced myeloid differentiation of AML cell lines. On the other hand, chidamide, an orally histone deacetylase inhibitor, decreases HMGB1 expression significantly in AML cells with concomitant upregulation of TGFBI expression, and confers therapeutic effect on AML by inducing cell differentiation, apoptosis and inhibiting cell proliferation. In conclusion, our findings provide additional insights that HMGB1 is a promising therapeutic target of AML, and also present experimental evidence for the clinical application of chidamide as a novel agent in AML therapy by downregulating HMGB1 expression. KEY MESSAGES: HMGB1 induces cell proliferation and myeloid differentiation blockade and inhibits apoptosis of AML cells. TGFBI acts as a potential target of HMGB1. Chidamide, a selective HDAC inhibitor, confers promising therapeutic effect for AML via downregulating HMGB1 expression.

MicroRNA-143 sensitizes acute myeloid leukemia cells to cytarabine via targeting ATG7- and ATG2B-dependent autophagy.

Targeting autophagy holds promise to enhance chemosensitivity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MicroRNA-143 (miR-143) has been found to suppress autophagy, however, it is not clear whether miR-143 augments cytarabine cytotoxicity in AML. Here, we report that cytarabine treatment reduces miR-143 expression in AML cell lines and primary AML cells. Moreover, ectopic expression of miR-143 further decreases cell viability in cytarabine-treated AML cells. By contrast, miR-143 knockdown inhibits cytarabine-induced cytotoxicity, together indicating a role of miR-143 in enhancing cytarabine sensitivity in AML. Subsequently, we show that miR-143 inhibits autophagy in cytarabine-treated AML cells by directly targeting autophagy-related proteins (ATG), ATG7 and ATG2B, two critical known components of autophagic machinery. More importantly, autophagy reconstructed via co-expression of ATG7 and ATG2B substantially attenuates miR-143-enhanced cytotoxicity, which is associated with suppression of caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway. Overall, this study demonstrates that targeting ATG7 and ATG2B-dependent autophagy is a critical mechanism by which miR-143 sensitizes AML to cytarabine, implicating it as a potential therapeutic target in AML treatment.

PPAR Gamma-Regulated MicroRNA 199a-5p Underlies Bone Marrow Adiposity in Aplastic Anemia.

Increased propensity of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) toward adipogenic differentiation has been implicated in the fatty bone marrow and defective hematopoiesis of aplastic anemia (AA). However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be investigated. In this study, we found that microRNA 199a-5p (miR-199a-5p) exhibits significantly higher expression in AA BM-MSCs compared with the normal control and is demonstrated to facilitate adipogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs through lentivirus-mediated miR-199a overexpression. Mechanistic investigation reveals that miR-199a-5p could be regulated by PPAR gamma (PPARγ) in a transcription-independent manner and regulates adipogenic differentiation by targeting the expression of transforming growth factor beta induced (TGFBI), which is subsequently validated as a negative regulator of adipogenesis. Besides, the positive correlation between PPARγ and miR-199a-5p expression as well as the inverse relationship between miR-199a-5p and TGFBI expression in normal and AA BM-MSCs was observed. Altogether, our work demonstrates that PPARγ-regulated miR-199a-5p promotes adipogenesis of BM-MSCs by inhibiting TGFBI expression, which might be a novel mechanism underlying the bone marrow adiposity in AA, and provides promising therapeutic targets for AA treatment.

Induction of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Germ Lineage Using Retinoic Acid.

Accumulating evidence indicates that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to their multilineage differentiation potentials. Recent studies show that germ-like cells can also be derived from stem cells, such as human umbilical cord MSCs and human bone marrow MSCs in vitro. However, whether human adipose-derived MSCs (hAD-MSCs) can be induced into germ-like cells has never been reported. In this study, we isolated hAD-MSCs and confirmed that their characteristics were in accordance with that of MSCs established before. Germ cell lineage differentiation was performed by 10 µM retinoic acid (RA) treatment for 21 days. RA induction led to slender spindles and tadpole-like changes of cell morphology, and the expression of germ cell-specific markers (Oct4, Piwil2, Itgb1, SSEA-1, and Stra8) presented significant upregulation in the RA treatment group according to the polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence results. We first demonstrated that hAD-MSCs can differentiate into germ-like cells in vitro, which will provide theoretical and experimental basis for the clinical application of hAD-MSCs in the treatment for infertility.

Simultaneous harvesting of endothelial progenitor cells and mesenchymal stem cells from the human umbilical cord.

The human umbilical cord (UC) is usually discarded as biological waste. However, it has attracted interest as a source of cells including endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which have demonstrated enormous potential in regenerative medicine. The present study describes a convenient protocol that has been developed to sequentially extract these two cell types from a single UC. EPCs which had properties of progenitor cells were successfully isolated from the UC vein. These cells had cobble-shaped morphology and expressed Flt-1, KDR, VE-cadherin, von Willebrand factor and CD31 mRNA, in addition to CD73, CD105 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. In addition to absorbing fluorescent-labeled acetylated low density protein and binding to fluorescein isothiocyanate-UEA-l, they were able to form vascular tube-like structures on Matrigel. Typical fibroblast-like cells, which were isolated from the Wharton's jelly, were confirmed to be MSCs by their expression of CD73, CD90 and CD105, and their ability to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts. Thus, the human UC-derived cells may be suitable for use in tissue engineering and cell therapy.

miR-301b~miR-130b-PPARγ axis underlies the adipogenic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells with different tissue origins.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely used in regenerative medicine and cellular therapy due to their multi-lineage differentiation potential and immunomodulatory function. The applicability of MSCs also depends on their cellular sources and in vivo functions. Here in this study, we systematically compared the morphologic characteristics, immunophenotypes and the adipogenic differentiation of MSCs derived from umbilical cord (UC), adipose tissue (Ad) and bone marrow (BM). We found that the three tissues-derived MSCs displayed decreased adipogenic capacity in the order: Ad-MSC > BM-MSC > UC-MSC, and no morphologic and immunophenotypic differences were observed. Mechanistic investigation revealed a miR-301b~miR-130b-PPARγ axis, whose expression pattern in UC-MSC, Ad-MSC and BM-MSC significantly correlates with their adipogenic capacity. Our results come up with a potential mechanism to elucidate the differential adipogenesis of Ad-MSC, BM-MSC and UC-MSC, which would provide instructional advice for which source of MSCs to choose according to a certain clinical purpose. Furthermore, the miR-301b~miR-130b-PPARγ axis may also be used as a potential therapeutic target for the disorders associated with MSCs-mediated abnormal adipogenesis.

Immunomodulatory function of whole human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a critical role in immune modulation. However, immunomodulatory function of whole human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) remains unclear. In this study, UC-MSCs were separated from whole umbilical cord using a single enzyme digestion. UC-MSCs (CD73+, CD90+, CD105+, and CD34-, CD45-, HLA-DR-) were differentiated into adipocytes, osteocytes and chondrocytes in vitro under specific stimulatory environments. UC-MSCs suppressed umbilical cord blood lymphocyte proliferation stimulated by mitogen, and ELISA showed that the secretion of INF-γ was downregulated, and the secretion of IL-4 was upregulated, with CD8+ T cells markedly decreased and CD4+ T cells changed lightly. Moreover, the infusion of UC-MSCs in recipient mice transplanted with donor bone marrow cells ameliorated acute graft-versus host disease (aGVHD) and extended survival. In conclusion, UC-MSCs might negatively modulate immunoreactions, and have application potential in the treatment of aGVHD caused by allogeneic stem cells transplantation.

Anemia and thrombocytopenia as initial symptoms of occult breast cancer with bone marrow metastasis: A case report.

RATIONALE: Occult breast cancer (OBC) is a rare type of breast cancer without any symptoms in the breast and is often presented with initial symptoms of axillary lymph node metastasis or other metastases. The low incidence rates of OBC make it a great challenge to diagnose and cure. PATIENT CONCERNS: Our case was a 58-year-old female affected by dizziness and fatigue for nearly a month. Blood tests revealed anemia and thrombocytopenia, and pathological results of a bone marrow biopsy confirmed the metastatic carcinoma. DIAGNOSES: It was diagnosed as an OBC based on the positive immunohistochemical staining of cytokeratin (CK) and gross cystic disease fluid protein-15 (GCDFP-15). INTERVENTIONS: Doctor advised her to check whether the bone metastases existed in order to choose an appropriate treatment. It is highly regrettable that the patient gave up all treatments and left the hospital. OUTCOMES: Recently, we conducted a telephone follow-up and received that the patient only took tramadol and other painkilling drugs to alleviate the pain caused by cancer. LESSONS: The current case inferred that symptoms of anemia and thrombocytopenia should not be ignored for the diagnosis of OBC, and bone marrow biopsy is useful in reducing the rates of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis of OBC.

Transplantation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into a murine model of immune thrombocytopenia.

: Several reports have demonstrated T regulatory cells may play an important role in the pathophysiology of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). As the immunomodulator, bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (BM-MSCs) regulate T regulatory cells and show therapeutic effects on autoimmune diseases. However, it is not clear how BM-MSCs affect ITP. In this study, we explored the specific effects of BM-MSCs on ITP in mice. Using a murine model of ITP, mice were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group, ITP control group and ITP and BM-MSCs group. Platelet (PLT) levels were monitored by an automatic blood cell counter, and T regulatory cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Compared with the untreated ITP mice, the PLT level of the ITP mice was significantly increased after BM-MSCs treatment. In the BM-MSCs group, T regulatory cells were significantly decreased. These findings demonstrate that bone-marrow-derived MSCs are effective in improving PLT levels and reducing the T regulatory cells mediating proinflammatory response in ITP mice.

Isolation and characterization of human umbilical cord-derived endothelial colony-forming cells.

Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) are a population of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that display robust proliferative potential and vessel-forming capability. Previous studies have demonstrated that a limited number of ECFCs may be obtained from adult bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord (UC) blood. The present study describes an effective method for isolating ECFCs from human UC. The ECFCs derived from human UC displayed the full properties of EPCs. Analysis of the growth kinetics, cell cycle and colony-forming ability of the isolated human UC-ECFCs indicated that the cells demonstrated properties of stem cells, including relative stability and rapid proliferation in vitro. Gene expression of Fms related tyrosine kinase 1, kinase insert domain receptor, vascular endothelial cadherin, cluster of differentiation (CD)31, CD34, epidermal growth factor homology domains-2, von Willebrand factor and endothelial nitric oxide synthase was assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The cells were positive for CD34, CD31, CD73, CD105 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, and negative for CD45, CD90 and human leukocyte antigen-antigen D related protein according to flow cytometry. 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetra-methyl-indocarbocyanine perchlorate-labeled acetylated low-density lipoprotein and fluorescein isothiocyanate-Ulex europaeus-l were used to verify the identity of the UC-ECFCs. Matrigel was used to investigate tube formation capability. The results demonstrated that the reported technique is a valuable method for isolating human UC-ECFCs, which have potential for use in vascular regeneration.