Description
Liver fibrogenesis and angiogenesis are closely linked processes. For example, in physiological conditions, hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HSEC) maintain hepatic stellate cell (HSteC) quiescence, thereby inhibiting intrahepatic vasoconstriction and fibrosis development. When capillarized, however, hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells lose their capacity to inactivate hepatic stellate cells, thus promoting fibrogenesis and intrahepatic vasoconstriction. To investigate the signaling crosstalk between these cellular events, ScienCell has developed the all-inclusive 3D human hepatic stellate-endothelial cell spheroid formation kit (3D-HHSteECSF) comprised of human hepatic stellate cells and sinusoidal endothelial cells. Furthermore, immunostaining of the co-culture spheroids reveals the presence of vimentin-positive stellate cells and von willebrand factor (VWF)-positive sinusoidal endothelial cells. The spheroids also contain the activated stellate cell population marked by the smooth muscle actin (SMA) staining