Effect of oxygen and glucose deprivation on VEGF and its receptors in microvascular endothelial cells co-cultured with mast cells.

The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between angiogenesis and the differential expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors in myocardial microvascular endothelial cells (MMVECs) co-cultured with mast cells (MCs) or mast cell granules (MCGs) under oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). MMVECs and MCs were isolated from Wistar rats. MCs spontaneously degranulated in OGD. The expression of VEGF peaked at 8 h and decreased from 16 h in OGD. However, the expression of its receptor, fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Flt-1), and fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1), decreased significantly, and angiogenic potential of MMVECs decreased in OGD. Expression of VEGF, Flt-1, and Flk-1 increased significantly when MMVECs were co-cultured with MCGs or active MCs, but MCs had only a limited ability to induce angiogenesis in OGD. The angiogenic potential of MMVECs cultured in OGD (even with MCGs) was inferior to that of MMVECs cultured under normoxic conditions. OGD have a profound effect on angiogenesis, which is more pronounced than the effect of MCs on angiogenesis.