Abstract

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multifactorial connective tissue disease characterized by excessive and progressive fibrosis along with microvasculopathy due to poor vascular formation and repair. Despite a general increase in many potent angiogenic factors, the vasculopathy compensatory angiogenesis and vasculogenesis are impaired. In this review, we discuss the role of proangiogenic factors – VEGF, PlGF, endoglin, PDGF, endothelin-1, angiopoietins, SDF-1, uPAR – and the paradoxical paucity of an inadequate angiogenic response in SSc.

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