Angiogenesis in the uterus: potential regulation and relation to tumor angiogenesis

Except under certain pathological conditions such as wound healing and solid tumor growth, angiogenesis is a relatively rare event in the adult. One exception, however, is the angiogenesis that occurs during the cyclical changes in the female reproductive tract. Many factors, chemical as well as mechanical, have been shown to be capable of promoting or inhibiting angiogenesis in vivo and in vitro. However, despite intense research efforts, the mechanisms involved in the regulation of angiogenesis in vivo are not fully understood. In this article we briefly review the basic steps involved in angiogenesis and present examples of factors and conditions that may serve as potential regulators of angiogenesis in the nonpregnant uterus. Finally, we discuss some of the architectural, anatomical, and physiological differences between the microcirculatory beds established during normal, self-limited vessel growth and that associated with the uncontrolled, pathological vascular growth that accompanies tumor growth and metastasis.