Fig. 9.

Representative CLSM images of endothelial cells stained for F-actin cytoskeleton (green) and nucleus (red) upon the addition of Matrigel (a): control cultures before and after the addition of Matrigel, and cultures exposed to HA particles (50 μg/mL) after the addition of Matrigel; and, quantitative analysis of tube length and branching points following the addition of Matrigel (b). Control cells re-organized the continuous cell layer in a tubular-like network upon the contact with Matrigel. HAp1 had a similar behaviour, but HAp2 disrupted significantly this functional feature. *Significantly different from control (absence of particles); p ≤ 0.05