The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of coronary artery angioplasty on the recruitment of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with angina pectoris. A total of 66 patients treated by coronary stenting were enrolled in the PCI group and 17 patients that underwent angiography alone were enrolled in the control group. The EPC count in the blood was measured by flow cytometry prior to and at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 24 h following angioplasty in the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) group, and at three time-points following angiography in the control group. Differences between the two groups included the characteristics of the coronary artery lesions, the incidence of diabetes and family history of coronary heart disease. The mean surface area of the stent deployed was 335.59±234.99 mm². No significant change in EPC count was measured in the control group. In the PCI group, a moderate and delayed increase in the number of cluster of differentiation (CD)34⁺/kinase domain receptor (KDR)⁺ EPCs occurred at 24 h post-balloon inflation compared with the baseline level. The CD133^-/CD34⁺/KDR⁺ subpopulations showed undulating changes at 3, 7 and 24 h post-PCI (P=0.016, P=0.01 and P=0.032, respectively). An arch shape was displayed in CD133⁺/KDR⁺ cells; initially, a reduction occurred at 3 h and was maintained constantly until 7 h (P=0.003, P=0.013 and P=0.033 at 3, 5 and 7 h, respectively), after which a slight increase to the baseline level occurred at 24 h (P=0.084). The CD133⁺/CD34⁺ cells increased in stepwise manner until 24 h. The CD34⁺/KDR⁺ EPC change magnitude correlated significantly with a global damage index by partial correlation analysis (P<0.001). The results suggested that a time-dependent mobilization of EPCs may be initiated by PCI; the change magnitude of the CD34⁺/KDR⁺ cells was associated particularly with endothelial injury degree from the PCI procedure.

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