Figure 4 Effects of CD40 engagement on HIMEC chemotaxis. Migration of human intestinal microvascular endothelial cells (HIMECs) was measured after activation with either soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) or exogenously added vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Additionally, cell migration was assessed after culturing with supernatants from sCD40L‐activated human intestinal fibroblasts (HIFs), either in the absence or in the presence of blocking antibodies to VEGF, interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) or hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). *p<0.001 compared with baseline HIMEC migration. Results are representative of six independent experiments performed in duplicate and are expressed as mean and standard deviation. ^§p<0.001 compared with cultures performed in the absence of blocking antibodies to VEGF, IL‐8 or HGF.