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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Magnetized miR-modified Endothelial Cells
Published on: May 2, 2017
Exosomal miR-155 Derived from Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Under Hypoxia Promotes Angiogenesis in Endothelial Cells
Yusuke Matsuura1, Hiroshi Wada1, Hidetoshi Eguchi2
1Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2, E-2, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
Purpose:
In this study, we aim to clarify whether exosomes secreted from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells under hypoxia affect angiogenesis in endothelial cells.
Methods:
Exosomes derived from human liver cancer cell lines were cultured under hypoxic or normoxic conditions for 24 h, isolated using ExoQuick-TC®, and co-cultured with HUVECs to evaluate angiogenic activity. We also evaluated the expression of miR-155 in the exosomes from 40 patients with HCC.
Results:
Exosomes under hypoxia remarkably enhanced tube formation of HUVECs. Both cellular and exosomal miR-155 were significantly up-regulated under hypoxic conditions. Knockdown of miR-155 in HCC cells attenuated the promotion of tube formation by exosomes under hypoxia in HUVECs, and high expression of exosomal miR-155 in preoperative plasma was significantly correlated with early recurrence.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that exosomes derived from HCC cells under hypoxia induce tube formation of HUVECs and that exosomal miR-155 may affect angiogenic activity in HCC.
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