Abstract

Angiogenesis is the physiological process of creating new blood vessels. It is the body’s natural healing response to restore blood flow to damaged tissue. For people dealing with chronic diseases such as ischemic heart disease, the angiogenic response can be compromised. Calcium ions play an important role in several cellular processes, including cell proliferation. Transient Receptor Potential cation channel subfamily Vanilloid member 4 (TRPV4) is moderately permeable to Ca2+ and can be found in endothelial cells, which make up the inner lining of blood vessels. This study investigates the link between the TRPV4 channel and angiogenesis using an Aortic Ring Assay (ARA) on a mouse model. By exposing the rings to specific ion channel agonist (GSK1016790) and antagonist (HC067047), measurements of length and number of new blood vessel outgrowth were taken. Significant findings from this study can provide pertinent information on TRPV4 playing an important role as a mediator for intracellular signaling and can potentially be a therapeutic target for vascular remodeling to improve cardiac function and increase perfusion to ischemic areas.