title: Angiogenesis: possible analogies between the eye and the inner ear.
abstract: Angiogenesis is a phenomenon concerning both physiological conditions linked to development and pathological conditions; in the latter it is aimed at providing an enhancement in blood supply to tumours, on one hand, and to restore the circulation in peripheral arterial and ischemic diseases, on the other hand, thus resulting in a controversial effect depending on the circumstances. When occurring in the eye, angiogenesis clearly proved to represent a threaten, whereas an univocal interpretation of the action of angiogenesis on the inner ear homeostasis is still lacking despite the morphologic and functional analogies between eye and labyrinth. These analogies can raise same doubt on the supposed role of angiogenesis in terms of preserving the function of a threatened inner ear: even this organ could be further damaged by microvascular disorders and/or mechanical changes able to jeopardize its architecture and consequently its function. If a parallelism between ear and eye is extendable to this aspect, this could open new perspectives in the treatment of certain affections of the inner ear by borrowing therapeutic strategies that have given appreciable and consolidate responses in the treatment of degenerative retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Specialist Surgical and Anesthesiological Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Emilio Carlo
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gattegna
authors.forename: Maria Chiara
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Raimondi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pirodda
mesh_terms: D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000098:blood supply*; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A