Reorganization of vascular wall cells in vitro

摘要

To reconstitute the hierachic structure similar to native vessels, it is essential step to move endothelial cells (EC) selectively toward the material surface and form a monolayer of EC. For this purpose, we studied the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) as a chemoattractant on selective chemotaxis of EC in a co-culture system. VEGF stimulated EC migration approximately 3 times as much as that without VEGF, while it did not stimulate smooth muscle cell (SM) migration. Therefore, VEGF was suggested as a useful tool for reconstituting the hierachic structure. However, in the co-culture system EC migration was dramatically decreased and totally suppressed despite the presence of VEGF. The results suggest that it is necessary to inhibit this suppression effect for reconstituting blood vessels in vitro.