title: Behavior of endothelial cells on Matrigel and development of a method for a rapid and reproducible in vitro angiogenesis assay.
abstract: During the process of angiogenesis, the normally quiescent endothelial cells that line the vasculature are induced to proliferate, migrate and align to form new blood vessels by angiogenic stimuli. Assays for angiogenic factors mostly involve in vivo approaches. The two most commonly used in vivo assays-the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay and the rabbit corneal assay are tedious to perform and are technically demanding. Several in vitro assays have also been developed, based on the ability of endothelial cells to form tubes in 3-D matrices. Here, we describe the modification of a microcarrier bead-based assay. This assay combines cells grown on Cytodex-3 microcarrier beads with Matrigel to provide an easy, rapid, and reliable method for evaluating and measuring angiogenic activity. We also describe the differential behavior of normal and transformed endothelial cells cultured in Matrigel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
authors.forename: Benedict
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Crabtree
authors.forename: Vasanta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Subramanian
mesh_terms: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen; D004338:Drug Combinations; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007797:Laminin; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D011509:Proteoglycans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D007797:Laminin; D011509:Proteoglycans; C059485:matrigel; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D006493:Heparin; D003094:Collagen; D006854:Hydrocortisone