Morphological examination of aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells grown in vitro on collagen membranes.

: Collagen membranes were prepared from acid soluble collagen gels reconstituted by ammonia vapour. The membranes were seeded with pig aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells. After few days confluent monolayers were obtained. By subsequent seeding it was possible to produce gel-sheets covered on one side by endothelium and on the other by smooth muscle cells. The transmission electron-microscopic picture of the cells grown on collagen membranes were not very different from those growing on glass. By scanning electron-microscopy however considerable difference was found between the morphology of cells growing on collagen or on glass.