Angiogenesis
Category: Pathways · Last updated
Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature. It is distinct from vasculogenesis (the de-novo formation of vessels during embryogenesis) and occurs throughout adult life in physiological contexts (wound healing, the female reproductive cycle, exercise-induced muscle adaptation) and pathological contexts (tumor growth, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration).
Core pathway
Angiogenesis is driven by gradients of pro-angiogenic factors. Key molecular players:
- VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) family · the master driver; binds VEGFR1, VEGFR2, VEGFR3.
- FGF-2 (basic Fibroblast Growth Factor) · synergistic with VEGF.
- Angiopoietins (Ang1, Ang2) · regulate vessel stabilization and destabilization.
- PDGF (Platelet-Derived Growth Factor) · recruits pericytes to stabilize new vessels.
- NO (nitric oxide) · produced by endothelial NO synthase, regulates vasodilation and endothelial cell migration.
Relevance to research peptides
Several peptides in this catalog are studied in animal-model angiogenesis assays:
- BPC-157 · reported to upregulate VEGFR2 expression and accelerate vessel formation at wound sites in rodent studies (Sikiric group, multiple papers).
- TB-500 · the actin-sequestering Thymosin Beta-4 fragment is reported to upregulate VEGF and recruit endogenous endothelial precursors (Goldstein et al., Sosne et al.).
- GHK-Cu · activates FGF-2 transcription and modulates the angiogenic program in copper-peptide assays.
See also
References
- Carmeliet P, Jain RK. "Molecular mechanisms and clinical applications of angiogenesis." Nature. 2011;473(7347):298-307.