Figure 1

(A) Representative bright field images of in vitro angiogenesis (panels a–d) and analysis of (B) tube length carried out the Openlab software and (C) the number of branches calculated by ImageJ (Angiogenesis Analyzer tool) software on HUVEC cells treated with mesoglycan (meso; 150 μg/ml) and VEGF (10 ng/ml) alone and together. Magnification ×10. Bar = 100 µm. Results of the invasion assay on BJ cells in presence, in the lower chamber, of HUVEC cells pretreated for 24 h with mesoglycan (meso; 150 μg/ml) and VEGF (10 ng/ml) alone and together (panels a–d) and of supernatants harvested from HUVEC cells pretreated for 24 h mesoglycan (meso; 150 μg/ml) and VEGF (10 ng/ml) alone and together (panels e–h). Both (D) representative images and (E) the analysis of the number of cells have been reported. Magnification ×20. Bar = 150 μm. (F) Gelatin zymography showing increased gelatinolytic activity of MMP-2 of BJ cells. (G) Densitometry analysis of the intensity of lanes calculated respect the sample volume which was the same for every experimental point. All the data represent a mean of n = 3 independent experiments ± SD based on one-way ANOVA and a two-tailed Student's t-test as appropriated, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 versus untreated control; ^#p < 0.05; ^##p < 0.01; ^###p < 0.001 versus mesoglycan or VEGF single treatment; ¶¶p < 0.01 for VEGF treatment versus mesoglycan one.