Abstract
The present study investigated the effect of the VEGF165 gene on adhesion, migration, and proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) derived from peripheral blood of rabbits. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from rabbits by density gradient centrifugation with Ficoll-Plaque Plus. EPCs were characterized by immunofluorescence and immunostaining. A pcDNA 3.0-hVEGF165 expression vector was constructed and EPCs were transfected with the pcDNA 3.0-hVEGF165 gene. The EPCs derived from peripheral blood of rabbits were successfully transfected with pcDNA 3.0-hVEGF165. ELISA showed that the expression of VEGF165 increased significantly in the EPCs transfected with the hVEGF165 gene compared to control cells. Compared to control EPCs, EPCs transfected with the hVEGF165 gene had significantly enhanced adhesion, migration, and proliferative ability in vitro.
