Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) are cells derived from the

endothelium The endothelium (: endothelia) is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the r ...

veins Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and fetal c ...

from the

umbilical cord In Placentalia, placental mammals, the umbilical cord (also called the navel string, birth cord or ''funiculus umbilicalis'') is a conduit between the developing embryo or fetus and the placenta. During prenatal development, the umbilical cord i ...

. They are used as a laboratory model system for the study of the function and pathology of endothelial cells (e.g.,

angiogenesis Angiogenesis is the physiological process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels, formed in the earlier stage of vasculogenesis. Angiogenesis continues the growth of the vasculature mainly by processes of sprouting and ...

). They are used due to their low cost, and simple techniques for isolating them from umbilical cords, which are normally resected after childbirth. HUVECs were first isolated and cultured ''in vitro'' in the 1970s by Jaffe and others. Jiménez, N., Krouwer, V. & Post, J. A new, rapid and reproducible method to obtain high quality endothelium in vitro. Cytotechnology 65, 1-14 (2012). HUVECs can be easily made to proliferate in a laboratory setting. Like human umbilical artery endothelial cells they exhibit a cobblestone phenotype when lining vessel walls. Inhibition of the

sirtuin Sirtuins are a family of signaling proteins involved in metabolic regulation. They are ancient in animal evolution and appear to possess a highly conserved structure throughout all kingdoms of life. Chemically, sirtuins are a class of proteins ...

protein

sirtuin 1 Sirtuin 1, also known as NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SIRT1'' gene. SIRT1 stands for sirtuin (silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog) 1 ('' S. cerevisiae''), referring to the f ...

(SIRT1) in HUVECs has been shown to induce

cellular senescence Cellular senescence is a phenomenon characterized by the cessation of cell division. In their experiments during the early 1960s, Leonard Hayflick and Paul Moorhead found that normal human fetal fibroblasts in culture reach a maximum of appro ...

. Conversely, overexpression of SIRT1 in HUVECs has been shown to inhibit cellular senescence. The

polyphenol Polyphenols () are a large family of naturally occurring phenols. They are abundant in plants and structurally diverse. Polyphenols include phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin, some of which have been used historically as ...

quercetin Quercetin is a plant flavonol from the flavonoid group of polyphenols. It is found in many fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds, and grains; capers, red onions, and kale are common foods containing appreciable amounts of it. It has a bitter flavor ...

has been found to be an effective

senolytic A senolytic (from the words ''senescence'' and ''-lytic'', "destroying") is among a class of small molecules under basic research to determine if they can selectively induce death of senescent cells and improve health in humans. A goal of this r ...

for inducing the death of senescent HUVECs.

References

External links

* {{MeSH name, Human+Umbilical+Vein+Endothelial+Cells, 3 = Human umbilical vein endothelial cells , 2012
Understanding the Vasculature with the Help of HUVECs

Primary Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (Normal, Human)
at ATCC Human cells