Methods to Evaluate the Formation and Stabilization of Blood Vessels and Their Role in Tumor Growth and Metastasis
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It is becoming more and more clear that angiogenic mechanisms leading to structural formation of blood vessels are very complex, and understanding them depends on studies performed by means of a wide methodological spectrum ranging from molecular biological techniques to morphological analyses (1 -4 ). To study the maturation and stabilization of newly formed blood vessels, processes that include many successive steps, the following aspects and methods are important:
| 1. |
Examination of structural components of the vascular wall indicating vascular stabilization by means of light and electron microscopy.
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| 2. |
Immunohistochemical and immune electron microscopic studies on tissues and cells with improved methods for precise localization of angiogenic factors during vascular maturation.
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| 3. |
Chemotactic assay on human endothelial cells using the Boyden chamber to test their migration response to angiogenesis activators and inhibitors.
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| 4. |
Three-dimensional endothelial tube formation assay on collagen gel: an in vitro angiogenesis model.
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| 5. |
Chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay as an easy in vivo angiogenesis assay.
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