Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were isolated from human peripheral blood (PB). The cells have a spindle-shaped morphology, with a low proliferative potential. Upon transplantation, this cells type acts in a paracrine manner.
Mononuclear cells (MNCs) were isolated from peripheral blood (PB) by density gradient centrifugation. To obtain endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), MNCs were seeded onto fibronectin-coated petri dishes and then cultured in complete EBM-2 MV medium supplemented with hEGF, VEGF, hFGF-B, R3-IGF-1, and FBS (10%)