ABSTRACT
Angiogenesis in skeletal muscle has been studied extensively in adults (for reviews see Hudlická et al., 1992). Although normally in a non-proliferative state, numerous physiological conditions are known to lead to capillary and/or arteriolar proliferation. However, pathological questions about angiogenesis in adult muscle primarily concern the lack or insufficiency of this process. In contrast, blood vessels in developing muscle are obviously proliferating, but the regulation of this process has not been widely investigated (Hudlická et al., 1992). It has only been relatively recent that several descriptive studies have elucidated the stages of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in muscle, primarily in humans and rodents. The development of the intramuscular vascular system is closely linked with the origin and maturation of the muscle fibers, as well as with the continuing development of the interstitial connective tissue.
