Isolation of intimal endothelial cells from the human thoracic aorta: Study protocol

Vessel endothelial cells are extensively applied to study the mechanism of atherosclerosis. Some cellular sources including human umbilical artery endothelial cells (HUAECs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) are mostly applied in the experimental studies. We described a method for isolating the human endothelial cells from the human thoracic aorta.

Normal aortic samples were prepared from subjects with brain death in Masih Daneshvari Hospital. The endothelial cells were isolated using collagenase and were evaluated by the measurement of CD31 marker. Furthermore, the digestion efficacy was studied by vessel histological analysis, and the adhesion mechanism was investigated by leukocyte endothelial adhesion assay kit.

The isolation protocol is found as a fast and simple technique with a proper cellular load to separate the endothelial cells from the human aorta.