Association between shear stress, angiogenesis, and VEGF in skeletal muscles in vivo.

Abstract

Higher capillary shear stress with prazosin than with stimulation may upregulate VEGF expression in the early stages of treatment. Greater proliferation of capillaries preceding a higher proportion of VEGF-positive capillaries in stimulated muscles, in the presence of a modest increase in shear stress, suggests that angiogenesis was initiated by other factors in addition to shear stress.