In vitro and in vivo effects of endothelial cell-derived growth factor.

Endothelial cells in culture produce a growth factor with an apparent molecular weight of 10,000 to 30,000 daltons. This material, the endothelial cell-derived growth factor ( ECDGF ), can replace the requirement of 3T3 and smooth muscle cells for exogenous mitogens. ECDGF , added to plasma-derived serum, a platelet deficient preparation of plasma, supports growth of these cells to confluency. Lyophilized preparations of the ECDGF stimulate migration of smooth muscle cells into an in vitro wound. The same material induces an angiogenic response when implanted on the chick chorioallantoic membrane. Thus two requirements of an angiogenic response, migration and proliferation, are supplied by endothelial cell products.