In vitro Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) Tube-formation Assay

Abstract

Angiogenesis is involved not only in pathological conditions including cancer biology and non-neoplastic diseases, but also many biological processes including reproduction, development and repair. During angiogenesis, endothelial cells (ECs) undergo activation after binding of angiogenic factors to their receptors, release of proteases to dissolve the basement membrane, migration towards an angiogenic signal, proliferation, and an increase in cell number for new blood vessel formation. Finally, reorganization of ECs forms the three-dimensional vasculature. HUVEC tube-formation assay is one of the simple, but well-established in vitro angiogenesis assays based on the ability of ECs to form three-dimensional capillary-like tubular structures, when cultured on a gel of growth factor-reduced basement membrane extracts. During the assay, ECs differentiate, directionally migrate to align, branch, and form the tubular polygonal networks of blood vessels.