The Number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells is decreased in children with obesity

Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are thought to preserve the integrity of the vascular endothelium and to play a role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is involved in progenitor cell mobilization, differentiation and homing. In this study, we compared SDF-1 serum concentrations and the number and functional characteristics of EPCs between obese and lean children and assessed potential associations with endothelial dysfunction and insulin sensitivity. We recruited 97 obese children (age: 12±3 years, BMI-SDS: 2.4±0.52) and 66 healthy lean controls (…