Open AccessPlasma membrane microparticles in angiogenesis: role in ischemic diseases and in cancer
Author(s) -
Hadj Ahmed Mostefai,
Ramaroson Andriantsitohaina,
Maria Carmen Martínez
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
physiological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1802-9973
pISSN - 0862-8408
DOI - 10.33549/physiolres.931533
Subject(s) - angiogenesis , neovascularization , cancer , function (biology) , pathological , cancer cell , medicine , cancer research , apoptosis , bioinformatics , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , pathology , biochemistry
Microparticles are small fragments of the plasma membranereleased by activated and/or apoptotic cells. In theory, all type ofcells can shed microparticles representing a physiological processin the cell life. Mainly, microparticles generation has been studiedin different cardiovascular pathologies due to the facility to obtainblood samples from individuals. Although microparticles havebeen considered as simply markers of several diseases, in thelast decade, several studies support the hypothesis that theyparticipate in the regulation of the cardiovascular system functionby carrying biological messages between cells. Among the effectsof microparticles, recent data show that they can be implicated inthe modulation of neovascularization, an essential function ofcells from cardiovascular system during either ischemic diseasesor cancer development. Whereas during pathologies associatedwith ischemia an increase of neovascularization may havebeneficial effects, anti-angiogenic strategies represent newapproaches for manipulation of tumor development. Here, wegive an overview of the mechanisms and factors involved inneovascularization, and finally, we look at the role and theconsequences of the modulation of this process by microparticlesin pathological situations.