Inflammation and oxidative stress, rather than hypoxia, are predominant factors promoting angiogenesis in the initial phases of atherosclerosis.

Micro-angiogenesis in the arterial wall has been observed during the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to examine whether inflammation, oxidative stress and hypoxia are involved in the process of early atherosclerotic micro‑angiogenesis. A total of 24 rabbits were randomly divided into a normal diet group or a high‑cholesterol (HC) diet group and were fed the corresponding diets for 4 weeks. The microvessel density (MVD), level of hypoxia and the levels of inflammatory markers and antioxidants in the arterial wall were detected using immunohistochemical and molecular biological techniques, respectively. The present results demonstrated that the MVD in the HC group was significantly higher (P<0.01) than that observed in the rabbits, which were provided with a normal diet, while hypoxia‑inducible factor‑1α levels did not exhibit marked changes in either of the two groups (P>0.05). The levels of inflammatory markers and antioxidants were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). The present study demonstrated that the primary factors, which promote micro‑angiogenesis are possibly associated with an increase in inflammation and a decrease in the levels of antioxidants, as tissue hypoxia in the arterial wall at this stage was not evident.