Vasculogenesis is the process of

blood vessel The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide awa ...

formation, occurring by a '' de novo'' production of endothelial cells. It is sometimes paired with angiogenesis, as the first stage of the formation of the vascular network, closely followed by angiogenesis.

Process

In the

sense A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of stimuli. (For example, in the human body, the brain which is part of the central nervous system re ...

distinguished from angiogenesis, vasculogenesis is different in one aspect: whereas angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, vasculogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels, in blood islands, when there are no pre-existing ones. For example, if a monolayer of

endothelial cells The endothelium is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the rest of the vessel ...

begins sprouting to form

capillaries A capillary is a small blood vessel from 5 to 10 micrometres (μm) in diameter. Capillaries are composed of only the tunica intima, consisting of a thin wall of simple squamous endothelial cells. They are the smallest blood vessels in the body: ...

, angiogenesis is occurring. Vasculogenesis, in contrast, is when endothelial precursor cells ( angioblasts) migrate and differentiate in response to local cues (such as growth factors and extracellular matrices) to form new blood vessels. These vascular trees are then pruned and extended through angiogenesis.

Occurrences

Vasculogenesis occurs during embryologic development of the circulatory system. Specifically, around blood islands, which first arise in the mesoderm of the yolk sac at 3 weeks of development. Vasculogenesis can also occur in the adult organism from circulating

endothelial progenitor cell Endothelial progenitor cell (or EPC) is a term that has been applied to multiple different cell types that play roles in the regeneration of the endothelial lining of blood vessels. Outgrowth endothelial cells are an EPC subtype committed to endot ...

s (derivatives of stem cells) able to contribute, albeit to varying degrees, to neovascularization. Examples of where vasculogenesis can occur in adults are: *

Tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

growth (see HP59) *

Revascularization In medical and surgical therapy, revascularization is the restoration of perfusion to a body part or organ that has had ischemia. It is typically accomplished by surgical means. Vascular bypass and angioplasty are the two primary means of rev ...

neovascularization Neovascularization is the natural formation of new blood vessels ('' neo-'' + '' vascular'' + '' -ization''), usually in the form of functional microvascular networks, capable of perfusion by red blood cells, that form to serve as collateral circu ...

after trauma, for example, after cardiac ischemia or retinal ischemia * Endometriosis - It appears that up to 37% of the microvascular endothelium of the ectopic endometrial tissue originates from

References

Embryology of cardiovascular system Cardiovascular physiology {{Circulatory-stub

Process

Occurrences

See also

References