Effects of Various Adhesive Substrates on the Adhesion Forces of Endothelial Progenitor Cells

This study evaluates the effects of various substrates on the adhesion forces of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and identifies the optimal antibody for EPC-capture stents. Single-cell micropipette aspiration (SCMA) is employed to measure the adhesion forces of single EPCs on various substrates, namely gelatin and antibodies CD34, VEGFR-2, and CD133. The adhesion forces of single EPCs on each substrate are compared with those of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Compared to HUVECs, our results show that EPCs exhibit better adhesion on gelatin, anti-CD34, and anti-CD133. The adhesion forces of EPCs or HUVECs on surfaces coated with these three substances increases with the concentration of these three substances. The adhesion forces are cell-type-and substrate-dependent. EPCs have stronger adhesion than HUVECs on surfaces coated with anti-CD34 or anti-CD133. The adhesion forces of EPCs on an anti-CD133-coated surface are higher than those on anti-CD34-, anti-VEGFR-2-, and gelatin-coated surfaces. The findings suggest that using CD133 antibody to capture EPCs is more efficient than using CD34 antibody.