Inflammation can cause new blood vessels to form through a new, previously unknown mechanism involving TLR2 receptors, according to US scientists in the journal Nature.
It is known from previous studies that inflammation causes oxidative stress, i.e. an imbalance between antioxidants and oxidants, which results in the formation of a high concentration of reactive oxygen species locally. It is also known that it promotes the formation of new blood vessels, i.e. angiogenesis. Until now, however, the mechanism linking inflammation, oxidative stress and the enhancement of angiogenesis was unknown.
Tatiana Byzova and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation found that oxidized molecules formed during inflammation can bind to a receptor called TLR2, which stimulates the formation of blood vessels.
The authors also showed that this process occurs independently of the angiogenesis-activating protein – vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). (PAP)