Figure 3. HAECs have greater angiogenic potential than HUVECs owing to differences in collagen fiber stiffness and porosity.
(a) Electron microscopy images of the effect of pH on collagen fiber stiffness. Scale bar = 1 μm. (b,c) Phase contrast images of collagen fiber stiffness in the 3D microfluidic angiogenesis system and quantification of vascular density. Scale bar = 150 μm. (d,e) Phase contrast and immunofluorescence images of the vascular density of HUVECs and HAECs filled with laminin-enriched gel obtained by incubating the cells with antibody followed by F-actin (red) and DAPI (blue) staining. Scale bar = 150 μm. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001 versus HUVEC group.