Review Article

Angiogenesis and Its Therapeutic Opportunities

Table 2

Clinical manipulation of angiogenesis.

Therapeutic goalDiseasesDefinitions/symptomsReference

Inhibition of angiogenesisHemangiomasBenign and usually a self-involuting tumor (swelling or growth) of the endothelial cells that line blood vessels and is characterised by increased number of normal or abnormal vessels filled with blood[86]
PsoriasisImmune-mediated disease that affects the skin. The immune system mistakes a normal skin cell for a pathogen and sends out faulty signals that cause overproduction of new skin cells[37]
Kaposi’s sarcomaTumor caused by human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8)[87]
Ocular neovascularizationAbnormal or excessive formation of blood vessels in the eye[88]
Rheumatoid arthritisInflammatory response of the capsule around the joints (synovium), secondary to swelling (hyperplasia) of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development of fibrous tissue (pannus) in the synovium[36]
EndometriosisA gynecological medical condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus (endometrium) appear and flourish outside the uterine cavity, most commonly on the membrane which lines the abdominal cavity[89]
AtherosclerosisArtery wall thickens caused largely by the accumulation of macrophage white blood cells and promoted by low-density lipoproteins (LDL, plasma proteins that carry cholesterol and triglycerides)[35]
Tumor growth and metastasisTumor-associated neovascularization is involved in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis[4]

Stimulation of angiogenesisInduction of collateral vessel formation: Myocardial ischemia, Peripheral ischemia, Cerebral ischemiaAfter blood vessels blockage (occulsion), collateral vessels can be developed to improve blood supply to the area.[90]
Wound healingIntricate process in which the skin (or another organ-tissue) repairs itself after injury. Angiogenesis occurs concurrently with fibroblast proliferation when endothelial cells migrate to the area of the wound[91]
Reconstructive surgerySurgery to restore the form and function of the body