Open Access Highly Accessed Primary research

The characteristics of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells and their effect on glioma

She-Hong Zhang1,2, Ping Xiang1*, He-Yong Wang3, You-Yi Lu2, Yan-Li Luo2 and Hao Jiang4

Author Affiliations

1 Center for Laboratory Research, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Anhui 233004, China

2 Center for Laboratory Research, First People’s Hospita, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200080, China

3 Center for Laboratory Research, Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated Tongji University, Shanghai 200433, China

4 Department of Radiation Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Anhui 233004, China

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Cancer Cell International 2012, 12:32 doi:10.1186/1475-2867-12-32

Published: 21 June 2012

Abstract

Background

EPCs were isolated primarily in 1997 by Asahara et al. and recent studies indicated that bone-marrow-derived EPCs contributed little to the endothelium of tumor vessels. Tumors of the CNS system demonstrate various features of angiogenesis.

Methods

EPCs derived from rat bone marrow were isolated and cultured in M199 medium without any induced factors. EPCs were studied using immunohistochemical staining, Flow cytometry and culture under three-dimensional condition to determine EPCs’ characteristics in vitro. We also established an animal model by injecting EPCs marked with Hoechst 33342 into the back of BALB/c nude mice and performed hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunofluorescent staining to study EPCs’ features in vivo. To research effect of EPCs on glioma, animals bearing tumors model with C6 glioma were established. About 27 day after injection, we performed immunohistochemical staining and Immunofluorescence staining.

Results

Our results showed that EPCs derived from rat bone marrow appeared typical morphological characteristics and were positive of CD34, CD133, KDR and CD31 antigens at different time in vitro under the special M199 medium without any induced factors. The percentage of cells that expressed CD133 decreased gradually. In brief, the present study showed that EPCs derived from rat bone marrow differentiated into ECs in medium the without any induced factors and formed tubular structures in three-dimensional circumstances. Animal experiments suggested that EPCs differentiated into ECs and other else non-endothelial cells, and that EPCs contributed M199 of glioma.

Discussion

These findings provides some novel results about biological characteristics of EPCs in vivo and ex vivo, and an update on the effect of EPCs on glioma and which would be helpful for the overall understanding of EPCs and make EPCs to be implied on the clinical therapy.