The occurrence of new blood vessel formation in the airway wall of asthma patients was reported more than a century ago. It was long thought that angiogenesis in asthma was an epiphenomenon of airway inflammation. Therefore, little research has been performed on the role of endothelial cells in this disease. We are moving away from this misconception as an increasing number of clinical studies and findings in murine models of asthma demonstrate a causal link between angiogenesis in the airway and genesis of allergic asthma. In this chapter, we review the evidence supporting key roles for the endothelium and other angiogenic cells in the pathogenesis of asthma.
Part of the book: Asthma