Revascularization of wounds: The oxygen-hypoxia paradox

Abstract

Wound angiogenesis is rapid, accessible and controllable. Sophisticated analysis in only the last 10 years has found more and more similarities to tumor angiogenesis. One of the most striking of these similarities is that lactate production is high in both tumors and wounds, and lactate accumulation is a common feature. As it is in tumors, lactate production in wounds is not a function of hypoxia, and lactate accumulation in tissue instigates angiogenesis despite the presence of oxygen. The rate of angiogenic response is proportional to local oxygen concentration. Despite appearances, this data expands our concept of angiogenesis of all sorts. Redox regulation is an important feature. © 2008 Springer US.