Clinical characteristics of the study population.

<p>Data expressed as mean±SD or N. Laboratory and diagnostic assays were from fasted blood samples.</p><p>HbA_1c = glycated hemoglobin;</p><p>HDL = high-denisty lipoprotein;</p><p>LDL = low-density lipoprotein;</p><p>GOT = glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase;</p><p>GPT = glutamic-pyruvic transaminase;</p><p>BMI = body mass index;</p><p>SBP = systolic blood pressure;</p><p>DBP = diastolic blood pressure.</p><p>Cigarette smoking refers to current cigarette smoker.</p

Characterization of late-outgrowth EPCs.

<p>Morphology and phenotype of late-outgrowth EPC derived from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Colonies of late-outgrowth EPCs with a cobblestone-like morphology (A). Representative flow cytometry analysis of late-outgrowth EPCs (red) compared to early EPCs (purple) for the expression of CD31, KDR, CD146 and CD14 (B). Immunofluorescent staining of late-outgrowth EPCs for CD34, Ve-cad (vascular endothelial cadherin) and vWF (von Willebrand factor) (C), immunofluorescence staining of late-outgrowth EPC for DiI-LDL (red), lectin (green) and merge (bar = 50 µm) (D). eNOS and GAPDH gene expression in late EPCs (E) (bp = base pairs; eNOS = endothelial nitric oxide synthase; GAPDH = Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase).</p

Pioglitazone effect on EPC pro-inflammatory molecule expression.

<p>Effect of pioglitazone on PPARγ, adhesion molecule and TNFα expression in EPCs. PPARγ gene expression in early and late-outgrowth EPC exposed to pioglitazone (10 µM) and pioglitazone + GW9662 (1 µM) (A) Effect of pioglitazone in modulating ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression by early and late-outgrowth EPCs (cytofluorimetric analyses). Results are reported as delta % of MFI (mean fluorescence intensity) with vehicle condition (B). Effects of pioglitazone on TNFα gene (C) and protein (D) expression in early and late-outgrowth EPC. (*p<0.05 vs vehicle; **p<0.01 vs vehicle). Real time PCR data are expressed as −ΔΔCt and represent the relative gene expression of EPC cultured in the presence of pioglitazone 10 µM (with or without GW9662 1 µM) in relation to vehicle, normalized for the endogenous control GAPDH. Protein expression is measured with ELISA assay from culture supernatants. Results from five independent experiments performed in duplicate are shown (*p<0.05 vs vehicle) (Pio = pioglitazone).</p

Effect of pioglitazone on EPC viability.

<p>The effects of pioglitazone (10 µM), pioglitazone (10 µM) + GW9662 (1 µM) and 0.2% DMSO vehicle culture conditions were examined on early (A) and late-outgrowth EPC viability alone and in the presence of H₂O₂ (500 µM, 24 h) (B); (*p<0.05 vs vehicle; **p<0.01 vs vehicle; §p<0.01 vs vehicle+H₂O₂).</p

Effect of pioglitazone on EPC function.

<p>Effect of pioglitazone (10 µM), pioglitazone + GW9662 (1 µM) and vehicle culture conditions on early and late-outgrowth EPC tube formation capacity expressed as total tube length (A) and as number of closed circles formed by tube-like structures (B); representation of early and late-outgrowth EPC tube formation assay showing the network formed by EPCs plus HUVEC on Matrigel (EPCs are red stained with Dil) in the presence of pioglitazone and vehicle (C); (*p<0.05 vs vehicle) (Pio = pioglitazone).</p