In Vitro Endothelial Cell Proliferation Assay Reveals Distinct Levels of Proangiogenic Cytokines Characterizing Sera of Healthy Subjects and of Patients with Heart Failure
Figure 3
Sera of HF patients clustered on the basis of their ability to promote in vitro endothelial cell proliferation. HUVEC cultures were analysed for in vitro proliferation in response to HF patients’ serum samples. In (a), representative panels of endothelial cell proliferation profiles obtained upon exposure to serum samples from HF patients (Pt.) are shown. Results are reported as normalized cell index (mean ± SD of samples assayed in quadruplicate) and show the different profiles that allowed the identification of the two distinct groups of HF patients with “high” (exemplified by Pt. number: 26, 6, and 5) and “low” (exemplified by Pt. number: 10, 24, and 18) proliferation induction ability. In (b), endothelial cell proliferation in response to HF patients’ serum samples was monitored up to 48 hours and expressed as normalized cell index (mean ± SD) calculated at the indicated time points. Results are reported as mean ± SD. * compared to “high” endothelial cell index group at the corresponding time point.
