The development of an in vitro model of angiogenesis using mouse and rat heart pieces provides a tool to study potential angiogenic compounds without the need for in vivo animal models.
Controlled induction of the formation of new microvessels, i.e., therapeutic angiogenesis, may be used one day to treat patients that for example had suffered a myocardial infarction. Experimental models of angiogenesis in the heart in vivo substantially stress the animal. We therefore developed a model of angiogenesis of the heart in vitro, where mouse and rat heart pieces are stimulated under controlled conditions in a three dimensional matrix. Capillary-like sprouts emerging in these cultures represent early to midterm steps of angiogenesis and can be quantified to study potential angiogenic compounds and underlying mechanisms.
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Humar et al. (2007) studied this question.
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