Figure 6From: Vascular stem cells in diabetic complications: evidence for a role in the pathogenesis and the therapeutic promiseThe potential of VSCs for therapeutic use in diabetics. A schematic of our working hypothesis showing that CD133+ VSCs are non-invasively isolated from diabetic patients and differentiated into endothelial and mesenchymal lineages by defined media. EPCs and MPCs are then expanded ex vivo and re-implanted in the patients to repair the damage and restore vascular homeostasis [middle box shows the immunophenotype of VSCs; VEGF=vascular endothelial growth factor (obligatory factor for endothelial lineage)].Back to article page