Influence of growth hormone on maintenance of capillary-like structures in an in vitro model of stromal vascular tissue - Results from morphometric analysis

The in vitro development of a vascular stroma might be a solution for the engineering of vascularized tissues, however, in vitro stability of capillary-like structures is limited. In order to test the influence on maintenance of capillary-like structures, human growth hormone (hGH) was added in concentrations of 0.5, 5, 50, and 500 ng/mL in an in vitro model of stromal vascular tissue. The angiogenic response and maintenance of capillary-like structures were analyzed by means of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and image analysis after 8, 16, and 32 days of culture. The highest angiogenic response was observed with a concentration of 50 ng/mL hGH. With the addition of 50 and 500 ng/mL, the length of capillary-like structures could be maintained on high levels up to the 32nd day of culture, whereas with 5 ng/mL values dropped to the level of the control group. The proposed technique of analysis allows quantification of capillary-like network formation and might be useful for tissue engineering applications.