Yeungnam Univ J Med.  2010 Dec;27(2):91-97. 10.12701/yujm.2010.27.2.91.

In Vitro Culture of Endothelial Cell and Smooth Muscle Cell for Studying Vascular Diseases

• Kim JY

• KMID: 1462685
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2010.27.2.91

Abstract

Endothelial cells play a key role in pathological processes such as cancer cell metastasis, atherosclerosis, and diabetic retinopathy. Vascular smooth muscle cells directly involve in the formation of atheroma in atherosclerosis. Some kinds of the endothelial cells are simply harvested from the umbilical veins, the tunica intima of aortic walls, the retina using various enzymes solutions. Those purely isolated cells provide a powerful tool in vitro studies of the endothelial cell related diseases. In this context, the cultured smooth muscle cells after the isolation from the tunica media of aortic walls are also used for elucidating the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Here, I briefly introduce articles that include the isolation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells, retinal microvascular endothelial cells (RMEC), as well as the diseases' applications of these cells.

Keyword

Endothelial cells; Smooth muscle cells; Atherosclerosis; Diabetic retinopathy

MeSH Terms

Atherosclerosis
Diabetic Retinopathy
Endothelial Cells
Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
Muscle, Smooth
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular
Myocytes, Smooth Muscle
Neoplasm Metastasis
Pathologic Processes
Plaque, Atherosclerotic
Retina
Retinaldehyde
Tunica Intima
Tunica Media
Umbilical Veins
Vascular Diseases
Retinaldehyde