Roccaro Aldo M, Russo Francesca, Cirulli Teresa, Di Pietro Guilia, Vacca Angelo, Dammacco Franco
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, I-70124 Bari, Italy.
Curr Drug Targets Inflamm Allergy. 2005 Feb;4(1):27-30. doi: 10.2174/1568010053622911.
Angiogenesis, i.e., the induction of new blood vessels from existing vasculature, is a crucial event in the formation and maintenance of the pannus in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The arthritis is characterized by destruction of peripheral joints in which the cartilage and bone are destroyed by proliferative synovitis. This is characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells and formation of new blood vessels. Angiogenesis occurs since the early stage of the disease, and supports progression of the arthritis. It has been demonstrated in animal models of arthritis that inhibition of angiogenesis reduces of the arthritis. This suggests that pharmacological inhibition of angiogenesis may play an important role in the treatment of RA. In particular, disruption of new blood vessels can not only prevent delivery of nutrients to the inflammatory site, but can also lead to vessel regression, hence reversal of disease. To sum up, since angiogenesis is central in maintaining of synovitis in RA, antiangiogenesis probably represents a therapeutic tool. This view is supported by recent studies in animal models of arthritis where antiangiogenic drugs deliver a therapeutic benefit.
血管生成，即从现有脉管系统诱导生成新的血管，是类风湿性关节炎（RA）中血管翳形成和维持的关键事件。这种关节炎的特征是外周关节破坏，其中软骨和骨被增生性滑膜炎破坏。其特征为炎性细胞浸润和新血管形成。血管生成在疾病早期就已发生，并支持关节炎的进展。在关节炎动物模型中已证实，抑制血管生成可减轻关节炎。这表明血管生成的药理学抑制可能在RA治疗中起重要作用。特别是，破坏新血管不仅可阻止营养物质输送至炎症部位，还可导致血管消退，从而使疾病逆转。总之，由于血管生成在维持RA滑膜炎中起核心作用，抗血管生成可能代表一种治疗手段。这一观点得到了近期关节炎动物模型研究的支持，在这些研究中抗血管生成药物具有治疗益处。
