Angiogenic potential of neural stem cells

神经干细胞是一种既能自我更新又能产生神经元和神经胶质细胞的未分化细胞。它们存在于发育中和成人中枢神经系统的各个区域。我们已经证明，在体外，NSCs可以产生内皮细胞和平滑肌细胞。从小鼠胚胎12.5天（E12.5）皮层中分离NSCs，在无血清培养基中加入20 ng/ml碱性成纤维细胞生长因子（bFGF），形成神经球培养。为了检测NSCs是否形成血管管样结构，我们将NSCs接种于含有10%胎牛血清和bFGF的胶原凝胶中，培养10天。凝胶中形成了由pecam -1或ve -钙粘蛋白免疫反应细胞组成的血管管样结构。此外，偶见α-平滑肌肌动蛋白免疫反应细胞或gfap免疫反应细胞大量投资形成血管管样结构。这些结果表明，NSCs具有在体外形成血管管的潜力，也可能在脑血管生成中形成。

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are undifferentiated cells capable of both self-renewal and producing neurons and glial cells. They exist in various regions of the developing and adult central nervous system. We have shown that NSCs give rise to both endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells in vitro. NSCs were isolated from mouse embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5) cortex and cultured by neurosphere formation in serum-free medium in the presence of 20 ng/ml basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). To examine whether NSCs form vascular tube-like structures, NSCs were inoculated in collagen gels with 10% fetal bovine serum plus bFGF and incubated for 10 days. Vascular tube-like structures consisting of PECAM-1-or VE-cadherin-immunoreactive cells were formed in the gels. Moreover, the formation of vascular tube-like structures with massive investment of α-smooth muscle actin-immunoreactive or GFAP-immunoreactive cells was occasionally observed. These results suggested that NSCs have a potential to form vascular tubes in vitro and perhaps in cerebral angiogenesis as well.