Putative endothelial progenitor cells do not promote vascular repair but attenuate pericyte–myofibroblast transition in UUO-induced renal fibrosis

摘要

BackgroundPutative endothelial progenitor cells (pEPCs) have been confirmed to participate in alleviation of renal fibrosis in several ischaemic diseases. However, their mechanistic effect on renal fibrosis, which is characterized by vascular regression and further rarefaction-related pathology, remains unknown.