Shear stress and VEGF enhance endothelial differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells

Growth Factors. 2014 Oct;32(5):139-49. doi: 10.3109/08977194.2014.945642. Epub 2014 Aug 12.

Abstract

Herein we combine chemical and mechanical stimulation to investigate the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and physiological shear stress in promoting the differentiation human adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) into endothelial cells. ADSCs were isolated and characterized; endothelial differentiation was promoted by culturing confluent cells in 50 ng/ml VEGF under physiological shear stress for up to 14 days. Afterwards, endothelial cells were seeded onto collagen or acellular aortic valve matrices and exposed to four culture conditions: shear stress + VEGF; shear stress - VEGF; static + VEGF and static - VEGF. After 7 days, phenotype was investigated. ADSCs subjected to shear stress and VEGF express a comprehensive range of specific endothelial markers (vWF, eNOS and FLT-1 after 7 days and CD31, FLk-1 and VE-cadherin after 14 days) and maintain the phenotype when seeded onto scaffolds. Our protocol proved to be an efficient source of endothelial-like cells for tissue engineering based on autologous ADSC.

Keywords: Adipose-derived stem cells; collagen scaffold; differentiation; shear stress; vascular endothelial growth factor.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipocytes / cytology*
  • Adipose Tissue / pathology*
  • Animals
  • Antigens, CD / metabolism
  • Aortic Valve / pathology
  • Cadherins / metabolism
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Survival
  • Cells, Cultured / cytology
  • Collagen / metabolism
  • Endothelial Cells / cytology*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Humans
  • Nitric Oxide / metabolism
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / metabolism
  • Phenotype
  • Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / metabolism
  • Shear Strength
  • Stress, Mechanical
  • Swine
  • Tissue Engineering / methods
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / pharmacology*
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / metabolism
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / metabolism
  • von Willebrand Factor / metabolism

Substances

  • Antigens, CD
  • Cadherins
  • Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • cadherin 5
  • von Willebrand Factor
  • Nitric Oxide
  • Collagen
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
  • FLT1 protein, human
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2