Stem/progenitor cells serve an important role in the process of blood vessel repair. However, the mechanism of vascular repair mediated by
C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4-positive (CXCR4+) bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) following
myocardial infarction remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF) on vessel endothelial differentiation from BMSCs. CXCR4+ BMSCs were isolated from the femoral bone marrow of 2-month-old mice and the cells were treated with
VEGF. Expression of endothelial cell markers and the functional properties were assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry and vascular formation analyses. The results indicated that the CXCR4+ BMSCs from femoral bone marrow cells expressed putative cell surface markers of mesenchymal stem cells. Treatment with
VEGF induced
platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) and
von Willebrand factor (vWF) expression at the transcriptional and translational levels, compared with untreated controls. Moreover,
VEGF treatment induced CXCR4+ BMSCs to form hollow tube-like structures on
Matrigel, suggesting that the differentiated endothelial cells had the functional properties of blood vessels. The results demonstrate that the CXCR4+ BMSCs were able to differentiate into vessel endothelial cells following
VEGF treatment. For
cell transplantation in
vascular disease, it may be concluded that CXCR4+ BMSCs are a novel source of endothelial progenitor cells with high potential for application in vascular repair.