FIGURE 1 Mechanistic view of antiangiogenic therapy.
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Drug Insight: antiangiogenic therapies for gastrointestinal cancers—focus on monoclonal antibodies
Anke Reinacher-Schick, Michael Pohl and Wolff Schmiegel
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Figure 1. Mechanistic view of antiangiogenic therapy.
(A) A balance of proangiogenic and antiangiogenic molecules maintains an organized and efficient normal vascular and blood supply in tissues. (B) Tumors produce proangiogenic factors, which result in growth of an abnormal and inefficient vascular network. (C) Antiangiogenic therapy can normalize the balance and restore the vascular network to a normal state, which improves drug delivery and efficacy. Antiangiogenic agents are intended to destroy angiogenic vessels and starve tumors, but tumors could recur. (D) If antiangiogenesis is potent and persistent it can completely destroy the vascular network, which impedes delivery of oxygen and nutrients and ultimately starves the tumor. Abbreviations: Anti, antiangiogenic; IFP, interstitial fluid pressure; pO2, tissue oxygen level; Pro, proangiogenic. Permission obtained from Macmillan Publishing © Jain RK et al. (2007) Nature Rev Neurosci 8: 610–622.