Abstract 3157: Depletion of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Endothelial Dysfunction in Subjects with Depressive Symptoms
Introduction: Although the mechanisms remain unclear, depression is associated with endothelial dysfunction and increases risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent studies suggest that circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) play an important role in endothelial repair and correlate with endothelial function. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that the presence of depressive symptoms in subjects without significant CVD is associated with depletion of circulating EPC and impaired endothelial function. Methods: We studied the relationship between the level of circulating EPCs, endothelial function and depression status in 129 healthy normal individuals (54±10 yrs, 54 men) without prior CVD or diabetes. The numbers of circulating CD34/KDR + EPCs were determined by flow cytometry, and the depression status was estimated by Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured by high-resolution vascular ultrasound imaging. Results: The median depression score of the study population was 4 (range 0 to 34), and 41 subjects (32 %) had high depression score (DS) ≥8 (defined by ≥ the 75th percentile of the depression score). There were no significant differences in baseline clinical characteristics between subjects with or without high DS (all P > 0.05 ). However, subjects with high DS had significantly lower FMD (5.4±2.7 vs. 8.0±4.0 %, P < 0.001 ) and CD34/KDR + EPC% (1.24±1.27 vs. 2.02±2.43 %, P = 0.037 ) than those with normal DS. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that a high DS (OR 1.08, 95%CI: 1.02–1.15, P = 0.009 ) and old age (OR 1.05, 95%CI: 1.01–1.09, P = 0.029 ) were independent predictors for decreased FMD. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that in subjects without significant CVD, the presence of a high DS was associated with impaired brachial FMD and depletion of circulating EPC. Nevertheless, only depression score, but not the percentage of circulating EPC significantly correlated brachial FMD, and was an independent predictor for impaired brachial FMD.