ABSTRACT
Patients suffering from Thrornboangiitis Obliterans [TAO] or Buerger's disease have endothelial cell dysfunction and the severity of the disease lies in the need for amputation in more than a quarter of all sufferers. The aim of present study was to determine whether granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilized autologous bone-marrow derived mononuclear cells transplantation improves endothelial dysfunction in these patients. Circulating mononuclear cells containing endothelial progenitor cells were obtained from patients following bone-marrow mobilization with granulocyte colony stimulating factor. Mononuclear cells and CD34+ cells were enumerated prior to intramuscular injection into the affected limbs. In this pilot study, autologous bone-marrow derived mononuclear cell therapy collected from peripheral blood following granulocytes colony stimulating factor [G-CSF] mobilization was effective, safe and resulted in sustained clinical results for patients with severe peripheral occlusive arterial diseases