FIG. 1.

Scaffold characterization. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs of scaffolds functionalized (A) or not (B) with bevacizumab. Scale bar=100 μm; insets show higher magnification pictures. (C) Bevacizumab cumulative release curve over 3 weeks of in vitro culture, expressed as% with regard to the total amount; (D) bevacizumab activity and dosage measured via MTS assay. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) showed a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) dose-dependent proliferation rate reaching a plateau at a concentration of 5 ng/mL (assay medium [AM] curve). Bevacizumab, at both tested concentrations (1.5 and 3.75 μg/mL), efficiently and significantly reduced HUVEC metabolic activity for approximately 10 ng/mL of VEGF (*p<0.05, °p<0.01, ⁺p<0.001).