Hormesis and Endothelial Progenitor Cells.

Hormetic-biphasic dose response relationships are reported herein for human endothelial progenitor cells involving estradiol, nicotine, the anti-diabetic agent pioglitazone, resveratrol, and progesterone. In general, these studies demonstrate the capacity of these agents to enhance EPC proliferation and angiogenesis functional applications, having a focus on repairing endothelial tissue damage due to acute injury (e.g., stroke), as well as damage from chronic conditions (e.g., atherosclerosis) and normal aging processes.