Morphologies of BM-EPCs after a limited number of passages and cryopreservation. The fresh EPCs were cultured to the seventh (F7) and twelfth (F12) passage respectively, A, C after 2 days of culture, E, G after 4 days of culture. Post-cryopreserved EPCs which were thawed at passage 6 and cultured to passage 7 (abbreviated as C7) (B, F), and thawed at passage 11 and culture to passage 12 (abbreviated as C12) (D, H). Scale bar: 100 μm