Adipose-derived endothelial and mesenchymal stem cells enhance vascular network formation on three-dimensional constructs in vitro

Abstract

BackgroundAdipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been gaining fame mainly due to their vast clinical potential, simple isolation methods and minimal donor site morbidity. Adipose-derived MSCs and microvascular endothelial cells have been shown to bear angiogenic and vasculogenic capabilities. We hypothesized that co-culture of human adipose-derived MSCs with human adipose-derived microvascular endothelial cells (HAMECs) will serve as an effective cell pair to induce angiogenesis and vessel-like network formation in three-dimensional scaffolds in vitro.MethodsHAMECs or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were co-cultured on scaffolds with either MSCs or human neonatal dermal fibroblasts. Cells were immunofluorescently stained within the scaffolds at different time points post-seeding. Various analyses were performed to determine vessel length, complexity and degree of maturity.ResultsThe HAMEC:MSC combination yielded the most organized and complex vascular elements within scaffolds, and in the shortest period of time, when compared to the other tested cell combinations. These differences were manifested by higher network complexity, more tube alignment and higher α-smooth muscle actin expression. Moreover, these generated microvessels further matured and developed during the 14-day incubation period within the three-dimensional microenvironment.ConclusionsThese data demonstrate optimal vascular network formation upon co-culture of microvascular endothelial cells and adipose-derived MSCs in vitro and constitute a significant step in appreciation of the potential of microvascular endothelial cells and MSCs in different tissue engineering applications that can also be advantageous in in vivo studies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13287-015-0251-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Fluorescence light-up AIE probe for monitoring cellular alkaline phosphatase activity and detecting osteogenic differentiation

“…[1][2][3] Due to their differentiation potential to specific cells and tissues, 4 BMSCs have emerged as promising candidates for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. [5][6][7][8] As millions of patients are suffering from bone diseases worldwide, stem cell-based bone repair is booming as a novel method for bone diseases. 9,10 For stem cell-based therapy, stem cells act as osteoprogenitors for bone regeneration at the defect site.…”

Oscillatory Strain Promotes Vessel Stabilization and Alignment through Fibroblast YAP‐Mediated Mechanosensitivity

“…Many recent strategies have concentrated on enhancing vessel stabilization in vitro, such as encapsulating different growth factors within the scaffold, or use of different mural cell types 22, 23, 24. In this study, we present application of oscillatory strain as a simple means of enhancing vessel stabilization and morphogenesis within engineered tissues.…”

Extensive Characterization and Comparison of Endothelial Cells Derived from Dermis and Adipose Tissue: Potential Use in Tissue Engineering

“…Several research groups are now using adipose-EC in constructs consisting of multiple cell types, even though the properties of adipose-EC alone have not been investigated yet [9,12,26–28]. In this study an extensive characterization of adipose-EC has been performed in comparison to the widely used dermal-EC.…”

“…One means of overcoming this problem is to incorporate vascular cells or a vascular network during the construction of a tissue-engineered graft [7]. For several applications in tissue engineering vascularization of the tissue is considered as a requirement for further construct development [8–12]. …”

“…A good alternative source for endothelial cells might be provided by the endothelial cells in the adipose-SVF, since it can be obtained from the patient by liposuction. Consequently, adipose-EC and the adipose-SVF have attracted interest for their potential suitability for tissue engineering [9,12,26–28]. However, no studies have extensively characterized the adipose-EC yet.…”