Figure 2

In vitro function assessment of endothelial progenitor cells with transwell and matrigel tube formation assay. A to C) The transwell migratory activity of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) (100 x) was notably reduced (C) in liver cirrhosis (LC) group than in healthy control group (* vs. normal control, p < 0.0001) (n = 6). D to F). Illustration of angiogenesis using passages 2 of culturing cells (all pictures were observed under microscope of 400 x). The cluster formation (red arrows), tubular formation (black arrows) and network formation (blue dot lines) were notably higher in normal control than in LC patients (G to J). (* vs. normal control, all p values < 0.001) (n = 6) High-power field (HPF).