Fig. 4

eEPC migration and EndoMT in vitro. Cultured human eEPCs were treated with serum samples from healthy controls, and from patients with SSc with versus without simultaneous administration of Bosentan to the culture medium. Analysis were performed at 5 h after beginning of the incubation. In general, migration of eEPC treated with patient serum was significantly slower (a). Bosentan reduced cellular migration in the ‘healthy subjects’ category. This effect exclusively occurred under the following experimental conditions: serum:medium-ratio 1:5, Bosentan concentration 2000 ng/ml. Expression of aSMA by the cells was comparable in all categories with no significant alteration by Bosentan (b – experimental conditions: serum:medium-ratio 1:5, Bosentan concentration 2000 ng/ml) (bos.: Bosentan; ‘serum’ represents the serum:medium-ratio; Data as mean ± SEM, ✻: differences between healthy subjects and SSc patients within a group significant with p < 0.05; #: differences between healthy subjects between two groups significant with with p < 0.05)