Cellular signaling pathways involved in angiogenesis

"Cellular signaling pathways involved in angiogenesis" are numerous interconnected signaling cascades that control the growth, maturation, and regression of new blood vessels. The major canonical pathways include those activated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), angiopoietin-Tie, Notch, and interleukin-8[1][2][3][4][6]. Each pathway involves extracellular ligand binding to cell surface receptors (such as VEGFRs or PDGFRs), triggering intracellular signaling (PI3K/Akt, MAPK/Erk, mTOR, etc.), gene expression changes, and dynamic cellular processes essential for endothelial cell proliferation, migration, survival, and matrix remodeling[3][4][6]. Dysregulated angiogenesis is fundamental in cancer, diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions. These pathways are targets for numerous anti-angiogenic drugs, especially in oncology, but are not themselves "targets" in the sense of a single protein or receptor—rather, they are broad biological systems composed of many targetable molecules[1][2][4][5][6]. This entity cannot be mapped to a single canonical gene/protein or standardized abbreviation, and should not be treated as a typical drug target.

Other names

Angiogenesis signaling pathwaysPro-angiogenic pathwaysAngiogenic signaling cascadesPathways mediating angiogenesis

Modulation of pro-angiogenic or anti-angiogenic pathway activity via inhibition or activation of growth factor receptors, downstream kinases, or transcription factors