A quantitative and reproducible in vitro model system for examining the effects of prospective compounds on endothelial cell migration
Cell migration (or chemotaxis) is the directional movement of cells
in response to a concentration gradient of a soluble chemoattractant. During angiogenesis, activated endothelial cells invade through the basement membrane and migrate towards a variety of pro-angiogenic factors.
The BD BioCoat Angiogenesis System: Endothelial Cell Migration is composed of a BD Falcon™ 24- or 96-Multiwell Insert Plate (and a non-TC treated 24- or 96-well receiver plate and lid) containing a BD FluoroBlok™ fluorescence-blocking microporous polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane (3.0 µm pore size) evenly coated with human fibronectin. An optimized coating process is used to ensure that the pores of the membrane are not occluded. Therefore, endothelial cells attach to the coated membrane and freely migrate through the pores towards an appropriate chemoattractant in the lower chamber of the plate.
To measure cell migration, a bottom-reading fluorometer is used to quantitate the number of cells that have migrated through the pores and attached to the underside of the insert membrane2. The cells may be labeled with a fluorescent dye either pre- or post-migration. The pre-labeling technique enables real-time kinetic measurements of cell migration. Studies conducted using the post-labeling technique demonstrated that endothelial cells migrate towards VEGF in a concentration-dependent manner. Similar results were obtained when bFGF was used as a chemoattractant. Moreover, the BD BioCoat Angiogenesis System: Endothelial Cell Migration has been used in conjunction with the Cellomics HSC ArrayScan to examine endothelial cell migration in a quantitative high-throughput assay.