Abstract 566: Broad-Spectrum Chemokine Inhibition Blocks Inflammation-Induced Pathological Angiogenesis but Preserves Hypoxia-Driven Physiological Angiogenesis

Introduction: Angiogenesis is critical for survival and in the regenerative response to tissue hypoxia. An imbalance in its regulation causes excessive angiogenesis, exacerbating inflammatory diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis. Chemokines from the CC-chemokine class are increasingly implicated in the regulation of inflammatory pathological angiogenesis but, in contrast, have a minimal role in hypoxia-driven physiological angiogenesis. Inhibition of CC-chemokines may therefore differentially regulate angiogenesis depending on the pathophysiological context. The ‘35K’ protein uniquely inhibits the CC chemokine class and does not affect chemokines from other classes. Aim: To determine the effect of CC-chemokine inhibition with 35K on inflammation-induced angiogenesis and hypoxia-driven angiogenesis using human coronary artery endothelial cells (EC) in in vitro angiogenic functional assays. Results: Matrigel tubule formation was strikingly inhibited (95.8%, p<0.001) by 35K (50nM) under the inflammato...