title: Gold nanoparticles inhibit VEGF165-induced migration and tube formation of endothelial cells via the Akt pathway.
abstract: The early stages of angiogenesis can be divided into three steps: endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered the most important proangiogenic factor; in particular, VEGF165 plays a critical role in angiogenesis. Here, we evaluated whether gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) could inhibit the VEGF165-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration and tube formation. AuNPs and VEGF165 were coincubated overnight at 4°C, after which the effects on cell migration and tube formation were assessed. Cell migration was assessed using a modified wound-healing assay and a transwell chamber assay; tube formation was assessed using a capillary-like tube formation assay and a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. We additionally detected the cell surface morphology and ultrastructure using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Furthermore, Akt phosphorylation downstream of VEGFR-2/PI3K in HUVECs was determined in a Western blot analysis. Our study demonstrated that AuNPs significantly inhibited VEGF165-induced HUVEC migration and tube formation by affecting the cell surface ultrastructure, cytoskeleton and might have inhibited angiogenesis via the Akt pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
authors.forename: Yunlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical School of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Life Science and Technology School of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
authors.forename: Jiye
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical School of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China ; Division of Clinic Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects*; D002642:Chick Embryo; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000187:drug effects; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D006046:Gold; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt