Isolation and culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC)

Human-derived endothelial cells can now be routinely harvested from human umbilical veins. Studies with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) have been conducted with cells from passage 2 to 5. It is now also possible to cryopreserve primary and early-passaged HUVEC for future propagation and for forwarding to an end user by express courier. Stored HUVEC have been stably retrieved even after several years. These retrieval techniques have facilitated the deployment of HUVEC for many studies, including those for homeostasis, inflammatory disorders, atherosclerosis, cancer, and microbial adhesion and invasion. In this unit, we will delineate the procedure for harvesting, propagation, and storage of HUVEC.