Bernas Gloria Castro
Research Center for the Natural Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Espana, Manila 1008, Philippines.
Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2003;29(3-4):199-203.
Angiogenesis offers an enormous potentials for therapeutic intervention of many disorders afflicting mankind at present. With the identification of the major molecular players involved in the sequence of events leading to the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing capillaries, inhibition or induction of the process may now be regulated. Bioactive compounds from natural sources may be used as regulatory agents. Inhibition of angiogenesis can control diseases characterized with excessive blood vessel growth like cancer, arthritis, psoriasis and diabetes retinopathy. Stimulation of angiogenesis would be favorable in the treatment of ischemic disorders and tissue engineering. An increasing number of bioactive compounds from natural sources and whose chemical structures have already been elucidated are reported as either potential inhibitors or inducers of angiogenesis. Drug development from natural products is a fast-emerging field that needs to be supported to provide people with more readily available and affordable healthcare.
血管生成在治疗目前困扰人类的多种疾病方面具有巨大潜力。随着参与从现有毛细血管形成新血管这一事件序列的主要分子参与者的确定，现在可以对该过程的抑制或诱导进行调控。天然来源的生物活性化合物可用作调控剂。抑制血管生成可控制以血管过度生长为特征的疾病，如癌症、关节炎、牛皮癣和糖尿病视网膜病变。刺激血管生成在缺血性疾病治疗和组织工程中是有利的。越来越多来自天然来源且化学结构已被阐明的生物活性化合物被报道为血管生成的潜在抑制剂或诱导剂。从天然产物开发药物是一个快速兴起的领域，需要得到支持，以便为人们提供更易获得且负担得起的医疗保健。
