Experimental models based on the culture of cells within tridimensional (3-
D) gels add a 3-D organization to the classical 2-D culture of vascular cel
ls. They allow the study of cell structure in an environment which is more
representative of the in vivo situation and the investigation of cellular f
unctions which cannot be studied using the basic 2-D models. This review sh
ows examples of the use of cultures of vascular cells (endothelial cells, s
mooth muscle cells as well as fibroblasts) in 3-D collagen matrices for the
study of cellular functions as diverse as angiogenesis, extracellular matr
ix reorganization, migration through 3-D collagen gels or phenotype modulat
ion. It also describes recent advances in the in vitro reconstruction of bi
ological blood vessels by bioengineering. A method for the preparation of 3
-D collagen gels is described.