Radiation-induced injury promotes endothelial cell progenitor uptake within multiple organs in mice

Abstract

Purpose/Objective: Angiogenesis is an essential component of tumor growth and wound repair. Recruitment of circulating endothelial cell progenitors is thought to play a major role within angiogenesis. Radiation in tumors has been shown to cause an up-regulation of certain promoters of angiogenesis, possibly inducing uptake of circulating endothelial cell progenitors; however, it is not known whether irradiation to normal tissues causes this same recruitment of endothelial cell progenitors. We investigated endothelial cell progenitor incorporation within multiple organs in mice that received total body irradiation.