Regulation of proliferation of bovine aortic endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and adventitial fibroblasts in collagen lattices

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Abstract
We compared the proliferation of bovine aortic cells grown in collagen lattices. Smooth muscle cells continued to divide for 2 weeks while adventitial fibroblasts ceased to divide after 4–5 days. Endothelial cells did not proliferate within an untreated collagen lattice; however, if the lattice was covered with culture medium, endothelial cells populated its surface and proliferated to form a monolayer. We also found that both smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, like fibroblasts, are able to contract a collagen lattice to a small fraction of its original volume, although endothelial cells are able to do so only if the lattice is covered with culture medium.