[Isolation, culture and identification of human umbilical vein endothelial cells]

To establish a simple, reliable and efficient isolation and culture method of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro.

Type 2 collagenase was used to digest umbilical cord and separate HUVECs. The cells were cultured in the endothelial cell culture medium (ECM). The cell morphology was observed under an inverted phase-contrast microscope. Immunofluorescence technique was applied to detect the expression of von Willebrand factor (vWF). Cell purity was determined by detecting CD31 level on cell surface with flow cytometry. Tube formation assay was used to test the function of the endothelial cells after cryopreservation in vitro.

HUVECs successfully isolated were proved with high purity and good activity. HUVECs of primary generation could merge into a single layer one week after isolation. The cells showed a typical cobblestone-like arrangement. Immunofluorescence technique validated that the cells could widely express vWF and the expression frequency of CD31 was 93.1%. The cells were still capable of forming the lumen structure after cryopreservation, indicating that the standardized cryopreservation method could well maintain the cell function.

This is a simple, reliable and efficient method of isolating and culturing HUVECs in vitro.