Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis are the processes responsible for the development of the circulatory system, the first functional unit in the developing embryo (1). Postnatal angiogenesis is encountered in pathologic situations such as diabetic retinopathy, arthritis, and, most notably, tumor growth and metastasis. It is also involved in therapeutic angiogenesis: the development of collateral blood vessels supplying ischemic tissues, either endogenously or in response to administration of growth factors.