Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of angiogenesis (ie, blood vessel formation). VEGF acts by binding to the VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) tyrosine kinase, expressed on endothelial cells. In healthy individuals, the vasculature is quiescent; invasion of vascular sprouts into the surrounding tissue during angiogenesis is tightly regulated by the Notch family of ligands and r...

BACKGROUND Kallistatin exerts pleiotropic activities in inhibiting inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in endothelial cells. Because endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a significant role in vascular repair, we investigated whether kallistatin contributes to vascular regeneration by enhancing EPC migration and function. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined the effect of endogenous k...

Endothelial cells present in brain are unique and differ from other peripheral tissues in a number of ways, which ensures specific brain endothelial barrier properties. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest event in the initiation of vascular damage caused by inflammation. Various microRNAs (miRNA) have been discovered in different cellular components of the blood bran barrier (BBB). miRNAs a...

BACKGROUND Limited access to endothelial tissue is a major constraint when investigating the cellular mechanisms of vascular inflammation in patients with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. We introduce venous endothelial sampling coupled to quantitative analysis of gene transcripts by real-time PCR, as a novel approach to study endothelial gene expression in human subjects. METHODS Endot...

Pueraria tuberosa is known for its therapeutic potentials in cardiovascular disorders, but its effect in angiogenesis has not been studied so far. In this study, a computational approach has been applied to elucidate the role of the phytochemicals in inhibition of angiogenesis through modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors: Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 and v...