An angiogenic role for the human peptide antibiotic LL-37/hCAP-18
J. Clin. Invest. Rembert Koczulla, et al. 111:1665 doi:10.1172/JCI17545 [
Go to this article.]
Figure 4Effects of LL-37 on endothelial cells in vitro. (
a) In vitro proliferation assays. Different concentrations of LL-37 and controls were added to cultivated HUVECs. Numbers at the left of the graph indicate the numbers of cells per microliter of volume after 72 hours. VEGF was used as positive control. Additionally, we tested sLL-37, HNP-1, -2, and -3, hBD-3, and the propeptides hCAP-18. In vitro proliferation was not inhibited by human serum. Application of the FPRL1 agonist peptide WKYMVm (W peptide) results in increased growth of cell numbers. Addition of antiserum to FPRL1 blunted increased cellular proliferation induced by LL-37. *
P < 0.05 as compared with the control group (
n = 10/group). (
b and
c) Hamster aortic ring–sprouting assay. The addition of LL-37 to the culture medium resulted in increased sprouting from the aortic rings as compared with control groups that received bFGF or no peptide (
b). *
P < 0.05 in the LL-37 and bFGF groups as compared with the controls (
n = 7/group) (
c). aFPRL1, antiserum plus FPRL1.
