The Value of Co-Culture Systems in Arteriosclerosis Research

Abstract

Cultures of EC, SMC and fibroblasts from animal or human arteries have become a tool in atherosclerosis research. Basic problems and therapeutic aspects of growth of cells obtained from normal or atheromatous arteries have been studied in many details. Mass cultures or clone cultures of single cell species are, however, very artificial systems. In these cultures the cells may behave differently than in their normal environment so that efforts have been made to construct cell culture systems that imitate in a better way the conditions which prevail in the walls of arteries and which additionally permit to produce in vitro intimai proliferates or even atheromas. I will present three systems to demonstrate the possiblities which these systems offer.