title: Angiogenesis and scar formation in healing wounds.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  One well described feature of wound healing is the ingrowth of new capillaries or angiogenesis. At its peak, the capillary content in healing wounds may reach three or more times that of normal uninjured tissue. This new vasculature is required to restore oxygenation and allow the growth of new tissue to fill the wound space. This review examines the assumption that a capillary content in excess of normal density is essential for adequate healing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The regulation of wound angiogenesis has been demonstrated to involve both proangiogenic and antiangiogenic stimuli, with the level of capillary growth reliant upon both sets of factors. Several studies now show that normal skin wounds heal adequately even when the angiogenic response is artificially reduced. In normal skin, a reduction of capillary growth to a level consistent with normal tissue does not affect wound closure and may even lead to highly favorable long term healing outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The angiogenic response in normal wounds may exceed what is needed for optimal repair.
authors.affiliation: Center for Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA. Ldipiet@uic.eudu
authors.forename: Luisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: DiPietro
mesh_terms: D002196:Capillaries / Q000502:physiology; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000293:injuries*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*