Post-ischaemic neovascularization and inflammation.

Four principal processes-vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and collateral growth-characterize tissue repair and remodelling in acute and chronic ischaemic vascular diseases. The relative importance of each process remains unclear, but it is likely that they may complement each other. In addition, these processes are driven by distinct, but partially overlapping, cellular and molecular pathways. In particular, inflammation might be one of the most important stimuli for initiation of vessel growth in the setting of ischaemia. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the inflammatory response in the context of ischaemia and review the major factors that may be involved in inflammation-induced, post-ischaemic neovascularization.