Objective: To establish a method for the reliable isolation and culture of infantile hemangioma endothelial cells (HemECs) in vitro.
Methods: Proliferative hemangioma specimens were digested by collagenase to form a single cell suspension. The HemECs were isolated using anti-CD31 coated dynabeads. The CD31+ cells were grown in fibronectin coated dishes. HemECs were identified by morphological characteristics and immunocytochemistry. The cells were also examined for their ability to intake LDL.
Results: The method enabled the rapid isolation of HemECs that demonstrated typical endothelial cobblestone morphology in culture. The cells were positively stained for CD31, vWF. They also were labeled with DiI-Ac-LDL.
Conclusions: This technique can effectively isolate endothelial cells from the proliferative hemangiomas. These cells could be further used to research the mechanism of proliferation and degeneration of infantile hemangioma.