内皮祖细胞(EPC)命名法仍然模棱两可,干细胞领域普遍缺乏一致性,许多不同的细胞亚型不断归入术语“EPC”。“就确认内皮祖细胞表型的标准达成一致是非常有利的,这应该包括详细的免疫表型,效力测定,并与不是内皮祖细胞的造血血管生成细胞清晰分离。在这次审查中,我们试图阻止滥用“EPC”,“并提出了基于定义细胞表型和功能的精确术语。内皮集落形成细胞和骨髓血管生成细胞是两种不同且明确定义的细胞类型的例子,它们被认为是EPC,因为它们都促进血管修复。尽管是完全不同的作用机制。人们承认,科学命名法应该是由技术和概念进步驱动的动态过程;因此,正在进行的“EPC”命名法不应该是永久性的,应该根据强有力的科学证据变得更加精确。这一点尤其重要,因为这些细胞因其在健康和疾病中的血管修复中的作用而得到认可,在某些情况下,在细胞疗法中的应用进展。干细胞转化医学2017;6:1316-1320。
Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) nomenclature remains ambiguous and there is a general lack of concordance in the stem cell field with many distinct cell subtypes continually grouped under the term \"EPC.\" It would be highly advantageous to agree on standards to confirm an endothelial progenitor phenotype and this should include detailed immunophenotyping, potency assays, and clear separation from hematopoietic angiogenic cells which are not endothelial progenitors. In this review, we seek to discourage the indiscriminate use of \"EPCs,\" and instead propose precise terminology based on defining cellular phenotype and function. Endothelial colony forming cells and myeloid angiogenic cells are examples of two distinct and well-defined cell types that have been considered EPCs because they both promote vascular repair, albeit by completely different mechanisms of action. It is acknowledged that scientific nomenclature should be a dynamic process driven by technological and conceptual advances; ergo the ongoing \"EPC\" nomenclature ought not to be permanent and should become more precise in the light of strong scientific evidence. This is especially important as these cells become recognized for their role in vascular repair in health and disease and, in some cases, progress toward use in cell therapy. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1316-1320.