Induction of intrauterine growth restriction by reducing placental vascular growth with the angioinhibin TNP-470.

The placenta is a specialized vascular interface between the maternal and fetal circulations that increases in size to accommodate the nutritional and metabolic demands of the growing fetus. Vascular proliferation and expansion are critical components of placental development and, consequently, interference with vascular growth has the potential to severely restrict concurrent development of both the placenta and fetus. In this study, we describe the effects of an antiangiogenic agent, TNP-470, on placental vascular development and the induction of a form of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in mice.

Angiostatin(4.5)-mediated apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells.

Angiostatin, a proteolytic cleavage product of plasminogen, acts via a selective, yet poorly understood mechanism to potently inhibit angiogenesis (M. S. O'Reilly et al.