Satchell Simon C, Mathieson Peter W
Academic Renal Unit, University of Bristol, Southmead Hospital, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK.
J Nephrol. 2003 Mar-Apr;16(2):168-78.
Angiopoietins are a recently discovered family of growth factors which act on endothelial cells via Tie receptors. They are widely expressed and have essential roles in regulating vascular growth, development, maturation and permeability. Disturbances in microvascular regulation play an important part in a number of diseases prominent in the developed world including diabetes, ischemic heart disease and cancer. It is the interplay between angiopoietins and other factors including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which determines endothelial behavior both in health and in these diseases. Angiopoietin-1 is unique in its ability to reduce endothelial permeability and it antagonises the effects of VEGF in its permeability and angiogenesis-inducing actions. The renal glomerulus constitutes a highly specialized microcirculation in which the permeability characteristics of the capillary wall allow its unique filtration function. Disturbance of this function may cause a reduction in glomerular filtration rate or proteinuria. Understanding of the regulation of the filtration barrier is incomplete but the expression of angiopoietins in the glomerulus suggests a mechanism for maintenance of the glomerular endothelium and modulation of the actions of glomerular VEGF. As has been clearly shown for VEGF, angiopoietins are likely to be involved in glomerular disease and recovery from it. Manipulation of angiopoietins has a wide range of potential therapeutic applications from inhibition of diabetic retinal neovascularisation to promotion of glomerular repair.
血管生成素是最近发现的一类生长因子，通过Tie受体作用于内皮细胞。它们广泛表达，在调节血管生长、发育、成熟和通透性方面发挥着重要作用。微血管调节紊乱在发达国家常见的多种疾病中起重要作用，包括糖尿病、缺血性心脏病和癌症。血管生成素与包括血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）在内的其他因子之间的相互作用决定了健康状态以及这些疾病状态下内皮细胞的行为。血管生成素-1在降低内皮通透性方面具有独特能力，并且在其通透性和诱导血管生成作用方面拮抗VEGF的作用。肾小球构成一种高度特化的微循环，其中毛细血管壁的通透性特征使其具有独特的滤过功能。这种功能的紊乱可能导致肾小球滤过率降低或蛋白尿。对滤过屏障调节的理解尚不完整，但血管生成素在肾小球中的表达提示了一种维持肾小球内皮以及调节肾小球VEGF作用的机制。正如VEGF已被清楚表明的那样，血管生成素可能参与肾小球疾病及其恢复过程。对血管生成素的调控具有广泛的潜在治疗应用，从抑制糖尿病视网膜新生血管形成到促进肾小球修复。
