Angiogenesis is the biological process by which new blood vessels form from existing vasculature. It is distinct from vasculogenesis, which describes de-novo vessel formation from endothelial precursor cells. Angiogenesis underlies normal tissue development, wound repair and — in disease — tumour vascularisation and diabetic retinopathy.
At the molecular level, angiogenesis is coordinated primarily by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling through the VEGFR2 receptor on endothelial cells, driving endothelial proliferation, migration and tube formation. Nitric-oxide signalling, integrin-mediated adhesion and the FAK-paxillin axis contribute downstream.
In the context of BPC-157 research, several preclinical studies report enhanced angiogenic markers and endothelial activity following BPC-157 exposure, mediated in part by VEGFR2 up-regulation.