ABSTRACT
Angiogenesis is the development of new capillaries from a pre-existing vascular network. The term “neovascularization” has been used to describe the development of new vessels in pathologic states and is considered synonymous with angiogenesis in this chapter. In adults, the vasculature is quiescent except during wound healing (108), hair growth (149), and the menstrual cycle (38). Otherwise, endothelial cells are almost dormant within the cell cycle, but they respond to angiogenic factors released by hypoxic issues by undergoing migration, proliferation and differentiation to form new capillaries, as in tumor growth and myocardial infarction (39).
