Fig. 3.

Effects of soluble α-Klotho (sKl) on the ability of dermal microvascular endothelial cells from healthy controls (H-MVECs) and patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) (SSc-MVECs) to form capillary-like tubes on Matrigel. In vitro capillary morphogenesis of H-MVECs was evaluated at basal conditions and after challenge with serum from healthy controls (n = 5) and patients with SSc (n = 5), with or without the addition of sKl. Stimulation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)₁₆₅ was included as a positive control for angiogenesis. In vitro capillary morphogenesis of SSc-MVECs was evaluated at basal conditions and after stimulation with sKl. a–i Representative images of the capillary network formed on Matrigel at 24 hours after plating are shown for each experimental point. j, k Representative images of H-MVECs (j) and SSc-MVECs (k) stimulated with sKl at 48 hours from plating on Matrigel. l Quantitative analysis of capillary morphogenesis on Matrigel as percent field occupancy of capillary projections at 24 hours after plating. Data are means ± SD of three independent experiments performed in triplicate with each one of the five H-MVEC and five SSc-MVEC lines. Tukey’s multiple comparisons test was used for statistical analysis; p values are indicated