CD144, CD146 and VEGFR-2 properly identify circulating endothelial cell

Studies evaluating circulating endothelial cells by flow cytometry are faced by a lack of con- sensus about the best combination of monoclonal antibodies to be used. The rarity of these cells in peripheral blood, which represent 0.01% of mononuclear cells, drastically increases this challenge. Objective: The aim of this study is to suggest some combinations of markers that would safely and properly identify these cells. Methods: Flow cytometry analysis of circulating endothelial cells was performed applying three different panels composed of different combinations of the CD144, CD146, CD31, C...