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Effect of mouse VEGF 164 on the viability of hydroxyethyl methacrylate–methyl methacrylate‐microencapsulated cells in vivo : Bioluminescence imaging
Author(s) -
Cheng Dangxiao,
Lo Chuen,
Sefton Michael V.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.31716
Subject(s) - viability assay , in vivo , luciferase , bioluminescence , bioluminescence imaging , ex vivo , methacrylate , transfection , materials science , matrigel , biomedical engineering , in vitro , luciferin , (hydroxyethyl)methacrylate , biophysics , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , biology , biochemistry , medicine , monomer , polymer , gene , composite material
Bioluminescent imaging was used to track the viability of luciferase transfected L929 cells in poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐ co ‐methyl methacrylate) (HEMA‐MMA) microcapsules. Bioluminescence, as determined by Xenogen imaging after addition of luciferin to microcapsules in vitro , increased with time, consistent with an increase in cell number. Capsules were suspended in Matrigel and injected subcutaneously. The bioluminesence in vivo increased over the first 3 weeks and then decreased, both with and without the delivery of mVEGF 164 (1.2 ng/24 h/200 microcapsules in vitro ); VEGF delivery was from microencapsulated doubly transfected cells (both luciferase and mVEGF 164 ). VEGF delivery was sufficient to generate a greater number of vascular structures, but this did not result in the expected increase in microencapsulated cell viability. Interestingly, the number of vessels at day 28 was less than at day 21, consistent with what would be an expected reduction in VEGF secretion when cell viability is lost. The results presented here do not support the hypothesis that transfection of microencapsulated cells with VEGF is sufficient to correct the oxygen transport limitation, at least with this type of tissue engineering construct. On the other hand, bioluminescent imaging proved to be a useful method of monitoring microencapsulated cell viability over many weeks in vivo . © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 2008