This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 38/4/1313    most recent 01.STR.0000259914.21997.89v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Zhao, Y. Articles by Mao, Y. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Zhao, Y. Articles by Mao, Y. Pubmed/NCBI databases Substance via MeSH Genetics Home Reference Related Collections Angiogenesis

(Stroke. 2007;38:1313.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Morphological Observation and In Vitro Angiogenesis Assay of Endothelial Cells Isolated From Human Cerebral Cavernous Malformations

From Department of Neurosurgery (Y.Z., L.-F.Z., Y.M.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology (Y.-Z.T., H.-J.W.), Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Correspondence to Ying Mao, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Wulumuqi Zhong Rd, Shanghai, 200040, P. R. China. E-mail yingmaoc{at}online.sh.cn

Background and Purpose— Little is known about the role of endothelial cells (ECs) in the pathogenesis of cerebral cavernous malformation because of the difficulties to obtain highly pure ECs. Thus, this study attempted to establish a reliable procedure to isolate and culture ECs from human cerebral cavernous malformation lesions. The biological features and the angiogenic potential of the cultured ECs were also investigated.

Methods— A modified protocol was developed to isolate and culture cerebral cavernous malformation endothelial cells (CECs)from surgically resected human specimens. The biological features of CECs were investigated by electron microscope, immunostaining, real-time polymerase chain reaction, fluorescence-activated cell sorter, and Western blotting. The tube formation by CECs was examined in an in vitro angiogenesis model with or without the addition of vascular endothelial growth factor.

Results— CECs from the specimens unaffected by the intraoperative bipolar coagulation were cultivated successfully with higher than 95% purity. Comparing to the ECs from control brain tissue, CECs presented primitive nucleus in ultrathin section, expressed higher levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, and spontaneously formed tube structures in a 3-dimensional collagen matrix. The tube formation by CECs was significantly promoted by vascular endothelial growth factor treatment.

Conclusions— A modified protocol for the attainment of purified CECs and the first in vitro angiogenesis model of CECs were successfully established. We provided initial evidence that CECs had enhanced angiogenic potential and showed increased responsiveness to vascular endothelial growth factor.

Key Words: angiogenesis • cavernous malformations • endothelial cells

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R S Robinson, A J Hammond, G E Mann, and M G Hunter A novel physiological culture system that mimics luteal angiogenesis Reproduction, March 1, 2008; 135(3): 405 - 413. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]