Therapeutic Application of Bone Marrow-derived Progenitor Cells for Vascular Diseases: Magicbullets Having the Good Without the Bad?

SUMMARYAccumulating evidence suggests that bone marrow-derived progenitor cells contribute to vascular healing and remodeling under physiologic and pathologic conditions. Although there is growing enthusiasm for therapeutic and diagnostic application of bone marrow-derived progenitors, there is a possibility that transplanted precursors or bone marrow cells may participate in the pathogenesis of unexpected diseases such as cancer, retinopathy, and atherosclerosis. The aim of this article is to review recent findings on bone marrow-derived progenitor cells obtained from animal models and clinical trials.