Fig. 4

In vivo angiogenic potential and phenotype of eEPCs exposed to TNFα. A–C Representative photographs showing the morphology of subcutaneous Matrigel plug containing TNFα (blank control), eEPCs (control) and both (TNFα). Injection of eEPCs without TNFα led to the formation of capillary-like structures containing many erythrocytes. D Quantification of the newly-formed vessels in the Matrigel containing eEPCs with or without TNFα. Vessel density was expressed as the number of vessels per field (× 400) (n = 6). E Immunohistochemical staining of paraffin-embedded Matrigel plug was performed by using the anti-KUL-01 and anti-CD133 antibody. Positive cells were automatically identified and counted in 6 randomly selected fields (× 400) by using ImageJ (version 1.52). Bars are median ± 95% confidence interval. The data are representative of 2 separate experiments