Long-term Culture of Capillary Endothelial Cells

Capillary endothelial cells from rats, calves, and humans, have been carried in long-term culture. Bovine capillary endothelial cells have been cloned and maintained by serial passage for longer than 8 months. This prolonged culture was accomplished by using tumor-conditioned medium, gelatin-coated plates, and a method of enriching cells in primary culture. Cultured bovine capillary endothelial cells produce Factor VIII antigen and angiotensin-converting enzyme, but do not have Weibel-Palade bodies. Human cells do contain Weibel-Palade bodies. Capillary endothelial cells are distinguished from aortic endothelial cells by their requirement for conditioned medium. Bovine capillary endothelial cells in regular medium grow slowly with a mean doubling time of 67 hr and eventually die. In tumor-conditioned medium, these cells grow rapidly with a doubling time of 28 hr and continue to proliferate for as long as the tumor-conditioned medium is present. In contrast, bovine aortic endothelial cells grow as rapidly in regular medium as in tumor-conditioned medium. This method allows the production of pure capillary endothelial cells that may prove useful for studies of tumor angiogenesis, metastatic mechanisms, and the role of capillary endothelium in other pathologic states.