Figure 3. MMP-2, but not MMP-9, is activated during VEGF-stimulated EPC differentiation.
(A) Zymography assay. After EPCs embedded in collagen gel were cultured with or without 25 ng/mL of VEGF for 24 hours, the gelatinolytic activity in the conditioned culture media was analyzed by zymography. (B) VEGF (25 ng/ml)-stimulated expression and secretion of MMP-2 is time-dependent. The expression of cytosolic MMP-2 in EPCs as determined by Western-blot with β-tubulin serving as a loading control (i); Zymography of the conditioned culture media (ii). The results are representative of three independent experiments.