Abstract
Human umbilical vein and artery endothelial cells (HUVEC; HUAEC), placental endothelial cells (fpAEC), and endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC) from cord blood are a widely used model for researching placental vascular development, fetal and placental endothelial function, and the effect of adverse conditions in pregnancy thereon. However, placental vascular development and angiogenesis start in the first weeks of gestation, and adverse conditions in pregnancy may also affect endothelial function before term, suggesting that endothelial cells from early pregnancy may respond differently. Thus, we established a novel, gentle flow-through method to isolate pure human umbilical endothelial cells from first trimester (FTUEC). FTUEC were characterized and their phenotype was compared to the umbilical endothelium in situ as well as to other fetal endothelial cell models from term of gestation, i.e. HUVEC, fpAEC, ECFC. FTUEC possess a CD34-positive, juvenile endothelial phenotype, and can be expanded and passaged. We regard FTUEC as a valuable tool to study developmental processes as well as the effect of adverse insults in pregnancy in vitro.
Highlights
The endothelium is a versatile, multifunctional structure that continuously lines all blood vessels of the body
Initial proof-of-concept experiments showed that cannulation of human first trimester umbilical cord vessels, using micro-catheters designed for parenteral nutrition and drug application in neonatal care, was feasible from gestational week 8 onwards
We have developed a new method to isolate pure and expandable endothelial cells (EC) from human first trimester umbilical cord vessels
Summary
The endothelium is a versatile, multifunctional structure that continuously lines all blood vessels of the body. In addition to umbilical cord EC, other, less common cell models have been employed to investigate fetal and placental endothelial function, including arterial and venous fetoplacental EC derived from term chorionic plate arteries and veins (Lang et al 2008). Endothelial progenitor cells have been isolated from cord blood and characterized as endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC) (Ingram et al 2008). All these cells represent fetal endothelial cell types obtained at the end of gestation, when endothelial growth and differentiation are basically complete. The isolated primary cells were characterized with respect to their proliferation potential and phenotype and compared to other, common cell models for the feto-placental endothelium
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
