Endothelial Cell Proliferation Assays

Angiogenesis is the generation of new blood vessels which occurs when a vascular bed is extended, such as in tissue growth, wound healing and tumour formation. In experimental studies, a useful, indirect estimation of angiogenesis activity is obtained by assessing the intensity of proliferation of the endothelial cell component of vascular tissue. Such endothelial cells are often isolated and maintained using common cell culture procedures, so that the effects of various mitogens (growth promoters) on cellular proliferation may be observed in vitro. A number of techniques for assessing cell proliferation are now in common use. In this chapter, we describe the basic methods and relevant principles. The most frequently used in vitro model for studying endothelial cell proliferation employs cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), which can be easily obtained. Each of the methods entails some advantages and some intrinsic weaknesses. To achieve the most reliable results, the combined use of two or more methods is to be recommended.