Please click here to obtain permission to reproduce this image.

Click on image to view larger version.



Figure 7 In vivo endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) capture at 1 h after deployment. All stents were deployed into the coronary arteries of Yorkshire Swine. (A to C) anti-CD34-coated stents. (D to F) bare stainless-steel stents. (A) and (D), low-magnification scanning electron micrographs (x220) of stented arterial segments. (B) and (E), high-magnification scanning electron micrographs (x2,500). (C) and (F), Confocol microscopy images (x200) of immunohistochemical staining for the endothelial cell (EC) marker (ulex europaeus agglutinin 1). Cells were counted after staining with propidium iodine, a nuclear marker that stains all cells red. All EC marker-positive cells appear green/yellow. Anti-CD34 antibody-coated stents showed >70% cell surface coverage with EC marker-positive cells 1 h after stent deployment. Stainless-steel stents showed little to no cell coverage after 1 h.