Fashioning blood vessels by ROS signalling and metabolism.

ABSTRACT

Formation and maturation of a functional vascular network is a process called angiogenesis. This is a crucial biological event in all vertebrates. Precise morphogenetic and cellular mechanisms act in endothelial cells (ECs) to drive angiogenesis during growth and throughout adulthood. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their metabolism are proving to be crucial participants in the shaping and stabilizing of blood vessels. Often, the same mechanisms are responsible for the insurgence of vascular-associated pathologies. In this review we discuss how ROS-mediated signalling events and distinctive metabolic pathways drive the biology of endothelial cells. We support the use of alternative anti-angiogenic therapy based on the manipulation of ROS signalling and metabolism to solve angiogenesis-related diseases.