Are Endothelial Progenitor Cells the Real Solution for Cardiovascular Diseases? Focus on Controversies and Perspectives

Advanced knowledge in the field of stem cell biology and their ability to provide a cue for counteracting several diseases areleading numerous researchers to focus their attention on “regenerative medicine” as possible solutions for cardiovascular diseases(CVDs). However, the lack of consistent evidence in this arena has hampered the clinical application. The same condition affectsthe research on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), creating more confusion than comprehension. In this review, this aspect isdiscussed with particular emphasis. In particular, we describe biology and physiology of EPCs, outline their clinical relevance asboth new predictive, diagnostic, and prognostic CVD biomarkers and therapeutic agents, discuss advantages, disadvantages, andconflicting data about their use as possible solutions for vascular impairment and clinical applications, and finally underline a verycrucial aspect of EPCs “characterization and definition,” which seems to be the real cause of large heterogeneity existing in literaturedata on this topic.