Endothelial Cell Tube Formation Assay for the In Vitro Study of Angiogenesis

Summary

The tube formation assay is a fast, quantifiable method for measuring in vitro angiogenesis. Endothelial cells are combined with conditioned media and plated on basement membrane extract. Tube formation occurs within hours and newly formed tubules easily quantified.

Abstract

Angiogenesis is a vital process for normal tissue development and wound healing, but is also associated with a variety of pathological conditions. Using this protocol, angiogenesis may be measured in vitro in a fast, quantifiable manner. Primary or immortalized endothelial cells are mixed with conditioned media and plated on basement membrane matrix. The endothelial cells form capillary like structures in response to angiogenic signals found in conditioned media. The tube formation occurs quickly with endothelial cells beginning to align themselves within 1 hr and lumen-containing tubules beginning to appear within 2 hr. Tubes can be visualized using a phase contrast inverted microscope, or the cells can be treated with calcein AM prior to the assay and tubes visualized through fluorescence or confocal microscopy. The number of branch sites/nodes, loops/meshes, or number or length of tubes formed can be easily quantified as a measure of in vitro angiogenesis. In summary, this assay can be used to identify genes and pathways that are involved in the promotion or inhibition of angiogenesis in a rapid, reproducible, and quantitative manner.

Introduction

Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels from preexisting vessels, is vital for a variety of processes including organ growth, embryonic development, and wound healing^1-3. Newly developed blood vessels, lined by endothelial cells, supply oxygen and nutrients to tissues, promote immune surveillance by hematopoietic cells and remove waste products^2,4. Angiogenesis is of key importance during embryonic and fetal development. However, this process remains dormant in the adult except during times of wound healing, skeletal growth, pregnancy or during the menstrual cycle^1-3.

Over the last two decades, ke....

Protocol

1. Collection of Conditioned Media to Test for Angiogenic Potential

1. Grow primary or immortalized cells to be tested for angiogenic or anti-angiogenic potential in native or low serum media and collect the conditioned media.
   1. Alternatively, use conditioned media immediately, or aliquoted and stored at -80 °C for several months. Use nonconditioned native or low serum media as a negative control, and use non-conditioned complete growth media (10% FBS, or appropriate concentration) as a positive control. Alternatively, to test potential stimulators of angiogenesis, supplement charcoal stripped media lacking growth factors with known concentrati....

Results

Mouse 3B-11 endothelial cells were seeded on solidified reduced growth factor BME – in this assay, the product Matrigel was used - and followed over time. As shown in Figure 1, angiogenic factors secreted by either mouse keratinocytes or fibroblasts are capable of inducing tube formation over time. Endothelial cells migrate and begin to form small branches within 1-2 hr of plating. Maximum tube formation was reached by 4-6 hr using conditioned media previously obtained from keratinocytes. By 24 hr, some .......

Discussion

Angiogenesis is involved in both physiological and pathological processes. Studying mechanisms involved in angiogenesis requires the use of assays that recapitulate the major steps in angiogenesis. The endothelial cell tube formation assay offers several advantages over other assays. It is easy to set-up, is relatively inexpensive, produces tubules within hours, and is quantifiable. Further, it can be completed in 24- or 96-well plates, and thus can be used for high throughput screening to identify factors that stimulate.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Costar 24-well tissue culture-treated plate	Corning	3524
BD Matrigel basement membrane matrix, growth factor reduced	BD Biosciences	354230
Gibco 0.05% trypsin-EDTA	Life Technologies	25300-054
Gibco L-glutamine 200 mM (100x)	Life Technologies	25030-081
Gibco pen strep	Life Technologies	15140-122
Gibco DMEM (1x)	Life Technologies	11965-092
Gibco DPBS (1x)	Life Technologies	14190-144
Fetal Bovine Serum	Atlas Biologicals	F-0500-A
Calcein AM	Life Technologies	C3100MP
DMSO	ATCC	4-X