Chinese Medicine - Modern Practice (252 pages)

3.2.1 Angiogenesis and tumours
Advances in Research of Angiogenesis Effect 33
Primary tumour growth, and metastasis all depend on the existing blood
vessels and new angiogenesis, and they establish their own blood supply
system from the matrix of the host. More and more studies demonstrate
that angiogenesis is very important in the growth and metastasis of solid
tumours. At the pre-metastatic stage, there is a marked enhancement of
angiogenesis, the degree of which is in positive correlation with the
metastasising ability of the tumour. This shows that tumour tissue must
get nutritional supply from the host in order to develop local growth.
Therefore, the stoppage of angiogenesis and interruption of the path of
nutritional supply of the tumour have become new objectives in anti-
tumour treatment. Researchers are now putting emphasis on the research
of drugs for destruction or inhibition of angiogenesis and for effective
interruption of tumour growth and metastasis. This.kind of drugs are
called tumour angiogenesis inhibitors, which can be divided into two
major categories. The first category consists of specific inhibitors which
can specifically inhibit vascular endothelial cell proliferation but exert no
inhibitory effect on tumour cells. Examples include vasoinhibitor, TNP-
470, etc. The second category consists of non-specific inhibitors, which
have inhibitory effects on vascular endothelial cells as well as tumour
cells. Examples include suramin, interleukin, etc. In the early 1970s,
Folkman raised the idea of using anti-angiogenesis therapy to treat
tumours. Now, it has become an important area in the field of tumour
therapy and prevention in investigating the mechanism of angiogenesis
and the discovery of effective angiogenesis inhibitors.
3.2.2 Angiogenesis and atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of many kinds of acute and
chronic cardiovascular diseases. The atherosclerotic plaques may cause
the narrowing of the vascular lumen or may even be detached to cause
obstruction and arterial spasm, which may lead to tissue ischemia, hypoxia
and cellular damage. Therefore, interruption or regression of the develop-
ment of atherosclerosis is a basic approach in the treatment of various
acute cardiocerebral conditions.