Ad-VEGF-DΔNΔC induces angiogenesis in cremaster muscle.

(A) Results of live videomicroscopy. The density of blood vessels was quantified 7 days after injections with Ad-VEGF-DΔNΔC, Ad-VEGF-A₁₆₅, Ad-GFP, and PBS. Paired t test revealed that the increase in the density of functional vessels was statistically significant for Ad-VEGF-DΔNΔC and Ad-VEGF-A₁₆₅ rather than for PBS and Ad-GFP (P < .001 in all cases). The difference in the effects of Ad-VEGF-DΔNΔC and Ad-VEGF-A₁₆₅ was not statistically significant. An average of 3 to 7 capillaries per field was observed in the Ad-GFP group. Data are means ± SE of 6 separate experiments. (B) Quantification of angiogenesis stimulated by Ad-VEGF-DΔNΔC 7 days after injection. Serial tissue sections were stained for VWF and laminin, and positively stained vessels per grid were counted using a ×20 objective. All fields in 4 different cremasters for each group were analyzed. A 100% value was assigned to VWF-positive vessels, and percentages denote the proportion of vessels that were also laminin-positive. Data are means ± SE. (C) Tissue sections stained for laminin and VEGFR-2. A 100% value was assigned to laminin-positive vessels, and percentages in the panel denote the proportion of vessels that were also VEGFR-2–positive. Data are means ± SE.