Treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension with prostacyclin-treated endothelial progenitor cells
The current application is directed to a method for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), comprising: providing isolated endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs); treating the EPCs with prostacyclin, wherein the treated EPCs exhibit a hyperproliferative phenotype with enhanced angiogenic property; and administering a composition comprising the treated EPCs into a subject suffering from PAH.
1. A method for treating pulmonary hypertension, comprising:
(a) co-administering a prostacyclin and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to a subject suffering from pulmonary hypertension;
(b) administering EPCs to a subject suffering from pulmonary hypertension followed by administering a prostacyclin into the subject; or
(c) administering a prostacyclin to a subject suffering from pulmonary hypertension followed by administering EPCs into the subject,
wherein the EPCs have been treated in vitro or ex vivo with a prostacyclin during expansion of the EPCs, and wherein the treated EPCs exhibit a hyperproliferative phenotype with enhanced angiogenic activity.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises co-administering the prostacyclin and the EPCs to the subject.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises administering the EPCs to the subject followed by administering the prostacyclin.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises administering the prostacyclin to the subject followed by administering the EPCs.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the EPCs are co-administered with (i) mesenchymal stem cells or (ii) a culture medium that has been in contact with mesenchymal stem cells and contains one or more components thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prostacyclin is co-administered with (i) mesenchymal stem cells or (ii) a culture medium that has been in contact with mesenchymal stem cells and contains one or more components thereof.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prostacyclin is selected from the group consisting of epoprostenol sodium, treprostinil, and iloprost.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subject is a human being.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the EPCs are autologous.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the EPCs are isolated from the blood of the subject suffering from pulmonary hypertension.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the subject is pretreated with a prostacyclin before the isolation of the EPCs.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the EPCs are endothelial colony forming cells.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the EPCs are genetically modified.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is a pharmaceutical composition further comprising at least one pharmaceutically-acceptable carrier.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises at least one therapeutic agent other than EPCs.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the composition promotes pulmonary vascular repair.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is co-administered with at least one growth factor.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the growth factor is selected from the group consisting of FGF, VEGF-A, VEGF-B, BMP-4, and TGF-Beta.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the EPCs are isolated from a human being, a tissue, or cell culture.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prostacyclin is treprostinil.