Gold Nanoparticles Inhibit VEGF₁₆₅-Induced Migration and Tube Formation of Endothelial Cells via the Akt Pathway

Figure 4

Effects of the AuNPs on VEGF₁₆₅-induced HUVEC tube formation. (a) Sample images showing the inhibitory effect of AuNPs on VEGF₁₆₅-induced HUVEC tube formation (magnification, 10x). HUVECs (1 × 10⁵ cells) were inoculated on the Matrigel surface and treated with VEGF₁₆₅ (20 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of AuNPs (125 or 250 nM). (b) Tube formation was quantified by counting the connected cells in randomly selected fields at 100x magnification. Data are presented as the means ± SEM based on three independent experiments. ^#𝑃<0.05 compared with the control group; ^∗𝑃<0.05 compared with the VEGF₁₆₅ group.

(a)

(b)