Angiogenesis and the Models to Study Angiogenesis

Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels from existing vasculature, is essentialin physiological processes such as growth and development, wound healing andreproduction. It is also involved in pathological conditions such as tumor growth, metastases,and certain chronic diseases. Angiogenesis is dependent on a delicate equilibriumbetween endogenous angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors. However, under pathologicalconditions, this tight regulation becomes lost which can result in the formation of thedifferent diseases, including corneal neovascularization, endometriosis, obesity, atherosclerosis,diabetic retinopathy, psoriasis and cancer. In general, the process of angiogenesisis a multi-factorial and highly structured sequence of cellular events comprising migration,proliferation and differentiation of endothelial cells and finally vascular formation,maturation and remodelling. Due to the critical role of angiogenesis in physiological andpathological conditions, scientists have designed various experimental models to assayangiogenesis in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. Currently, these experimental models are usedby many researchers for several applications such as discovering angiogenic and antiangiogenicagents, and thereby for future therapeutic applications