SMOOTH-MUSCLE CELL AND ENDOTHELIAL-CELL GROWTH-FACTORS

Blood vessels are composed basically of two cell types, vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), whose proliferation in vivo is tightly regulated. A number of growth regulatory polypeptides have been identified that stimulate the proliferation of vascular cells. This article reviews briefly the structural properties and biologic activities of the best-characterized vascular cell growth factors. A fuller understanding of the properties of vascular cell growth modulators is an important element in delineating the proliferative events that are associated with vascular injury; with SMC hyperplasia such as occurs in restenosis following angioplasty, in atherosclerosis, and in hypertension; and with angiogenesis, both physiologic and pathologic.