Angiogenesis

Metastasis is the cumulative result of multiple changes in tumor cells and their microenvironment that enable cells to migrate or invade into healthy host tissue. Penetration of the sub-endothelial basement membrane marks a critical turning point in the metastatic process. As proliferating neoplastic cells attempt to escape the primary tumor site, local invasion of the surrounding tissue (interstitial stroma) must occur. Prior to penetrating the blood vessel endothelium and gaining access to the blood stream (intravasation), cancer cells must invade local tissues by degrading ECM components and ultimately, transverse the basement membrane. Once in circulation, these cells can form metastatic colonies at secondary locations.
Click image to enlarge.
Angiogenesis is the process of generating new capillary blood vessels. It is a fundamental component of a number of normal (reproduction and wound healing) and pathological processes including tumor growth and metastasis. Abnormal blood vessel growth can be the underlying cause of many deadly and debilitating diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetic and age-related blindness. Identification of specific compounds that promote or inhibit angiogenesis can provide promising treatments for these diseases.

EMD Millipore has a variety of antibodies, inhibitors, proteins and kits to study angiogenesis, whether you want to induce blood vessel proliferation, or inhibit new formation of vessels, EMD Millipore has the tools you need.


Product Highlight: Blood Vessel Staining Kits
Blood Vessel Staining Kits
Paraffin-Embedded human tonsil tissue section stained with Anti-von Willeibrand Factor antibody.
Angiogenesis and tumor-associated neo-vascularization are complex processes by which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing vasculature.

EMD Millipore's Blood Vessel Staining Kit is a very sensitive immunohistochemical tool for the detection of vascular endothelial cells, containing both anti-von Willebrand Factor and anti-CD31 primary antibodies and is applicable to a variety of species. This immunoperoxidase kit provides a simple, all-in-one method for the staining of frozen and paraffin-embedded sections in human (both CD31 and VWF) or rat and mouse (VWF only) tissues.


Product Highlight: In Vitro Angiogenesis Assays
In Vitro Angiogenesis Assays
Lumina (arrow) and invasive sprouts of HUVEC sandwiched within Fibrin gel from In Vitro Angogenesis Assay (Cat. No. ECM630) and incubated for 72 hours in media supplemented with bFGF, VEGF and PMA (32x magnification).
The EMD Millipore Fibrin Gel In Vitro Angiogenesis Assay Kit provides a convenient system for evaluation of tube formation by endothelial cells in 96-well or other formats. When cultured on top or within a fibrin gel, endothelial cells rapidly align and form interconnecting networks that can display patent lumina2,3. Tube formation is a multi-step process involving cell adhesion, migration, differentiation and growth4.

In Vitro Angiogenesis Assays
HUVEC Cells incubated 6-10 hours at 37°C on ECMatrix™ provided in the In Vitro Angiogenesis Assay (Cat. No. ECM625).
The EMD Millipore In Vitro Angiogenesis Assay Kit provides a convenient system for evaluation of tube formation by endothelial cells in a convenient 96-well format. When cultured on ECMatrix™, a solid gel of basement proteins prepared from the Engelbreth Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse tumor, these endothelial cells rapidly align and form hollow tube-like structures.


Product Highlight: Endothelial Cell Characterization Kit
Endothelial Cell Characterization Kit
Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) stained for constitutive markers, CD31 (A, yellow), Endothelial Cells (CD146) (B, pink) and von Willibrand Factor (vWF) (C, orange). Exposure of HUVEC to tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNF-alpha, 100 ng/mL) for 4-6 hours resulted in upregulation of VCAM-1 (D, pink) and ICAM-1 (E, red) expressions. Control cultures of uninduced HUVEC indicate an absence of ICAM-1 (F) and VCAM-1 (not shown) staining. Nuclei of the cells were visualized with DAPI. Click image to enarlge.
Endothelial cells form the inner lining of blood vessels and serve as the cellular interface between the circulating blood and the vessel wall. Endothelial cells are involved in many aspects of vascular biology, including inflammation, angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, blood clotting, vasoconstriction and vasodilation.

EMD Millipore's endothelial cell characterization kit enables researchers to characterize cultured endothelial cells in both a constitutive and activated state using basic immunocytochemistry techniques.


Product Highlight: VEGF Antibodies & Proteins
VEGF Antibodies & Proteins
Staining of Mouse Placenta with a polyclonal VEGF antibody (Cat. No. 07-1420).
VEGF is potent angiogenic mitogen. VEGF is secreted by tumor cells in response to hypoxia, by activated oncogenes, and by a variety of cytokines. VEGF induces angiogenesis and permeabilization of blood vessels, and plays a central role in the regulation of vasculogenesis. VEGF expression correlates to the degree of tumor vascularization and with increased metastatic risk. VEGF induces endothelial cell proliferation, promotes cell migration, and inhibits apoptosis, so inhibition of VEGF signaling abrogates the development of a wide variety of tumors.