Various types of human endothelial cells, including human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the established hybrid EAhy926 cells, are used in experimental research. Here, we compared the biological properties of HUVECs and EAhy926 cells under normal (5 mM) and high glucose (30 mM; HG) conditions. The results showed that HG induced cellular senescence and a stronger DNA damage response in HUVECs than in EAhy926 cells. The magnitude of oxidative stress elicited in HUVECs by HG was also greater than that elicited in their established counterparts. Both endothelial cell types promoted the progression of breast (MCF7), ovarian (OVCAR-3), and lung (A549) cancer cells; however, the effects elicited by HG-treated HUVECs on adhesion (MCF7, OVCAR-3), proliferation (OVCAR-3), and migration (OVCAR-3) were more pronounced. Finally, HG stimulated the production of a higher number of proangiogenic agents in HUVECs than in EAhy926 cells. Collectively, our study shows that the functional properties of primary and established endothelial cells exposed to HG differ substantially, which seems to result from the higher sensitivity of the former to this stressor. The interchangeability of both types of endothelial cells in biomedical research should be considered with great care to avoid losing some biological effects due to the choice of cells with higher stress tolerance.
Keywords: Cellular senescence; Ovarian cancer; Transcriptome.
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