HEPARIN ENHANCES ANGIOGENESIS BY A SYSTEMIC MODE OF ACTION

A systemically-administered standard sodium heparin, but not an oligos accharide fraction derived from the heparin, significantly potentiated angiogenesis induced by saline in normal rats, as assessed by the qua ntitative mesenteric window angiogenesis assay. This is the first unam biguous evidence that any single specific mast-cell product can potent iate angiogenesis in normally vascularized mammalian tissue. Whether s ystemic treatment with a heparin-like substance may be useful for stim ulating neoangiogenic formation of collaterals in situations of relati ve microvascular insufficiency, such as coronary collaterals in patien ts suffering from ischaemic heart disease, is briefly discussed.