Abstract

Cardiovascular disease remains a principal cause of mortality in Western countries. Novel strategies for enhancing angiogenesis (such as gene or cell therapy) provide alternative choices for patients without any current treatment options. This progress has contributed towards understanding the mechanisms underlying vascular formation. The establishment of new experimental models could lead to the development of new treatments. This article overviews the diverse models for the study of angiogenesis.

Keywords: Angiogenesis, vasculogenesis, endothelial progenitor cell, ischemia