Negative regulators of angiogenesis in inflammatory bowel disease: thrombospondin in the spotlight.
Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels. In the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, robust angiogenesis exists, and its blockade may have therapeutic potential, as shown in animal models of experimental intestinal inflammation. While abundant literature is available on the positive regulators of intestinal pathological angiogenesis, e.g. VEGF, b-FGF, IL-8, CD40 and CD40L, almost no data exist on negative regulators. Thrombospondin-1 is a negative regulator of angiogenesis, and it plays a new role in IBD-associated angiogenesis. In addition, recombinant thrombospondin-1 may inhibit pathological angiogenesis and may offer a new therapeutic approach to intestinal inflammation.
Danese
Silvio
S
Division of Gastroenterology, Istituto Clinico Humanitas-Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Rozzano, Italy. sdanese@hotmail.com
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D003106:Colon / Q000098:blood supply*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D020868:Gene Silencing; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019700:Thrombospondin 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D019700:Thrombospondin 1