The Increase of VEGF Secretion From Endothelial Progenitor Cells Post Ultrasonic VEGF Gene Delivery Enhances the Proliferation and Migration of Endothelial Cells

We investigated the feasibility of exogenous gene expression in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) through the use of ultrasonic microbubble transfection (UMT). EPCs originating from porcine peripheral blood were cultured in a medium containing constructed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pDNA followed by UMT. Simultaneously, comprehensive functional evaluations were conducted to investigate the effects of UMT of the VEGF gene on the EPCs. The results showed that UMT yielded significant VEGF protein expression. VEGF-containing supernatant originating from EPCs post UMT led to significantly enhanced activities of proliferation by more than 20% and migration by approximately 30% in human aortic endothelial cells. The duration of additional secretion of VEGF protein attributable to the exogenous VEGF gene in the EPCs post UMT lasted more than 96 hours. In conclusion, UMT successfully delivers the VEGF gene into porcine EPCs, and VEGF-containing supernatant derived from EPCs post UMT enhances the proliferation and migration of human aortic endothelial cells.