Angiogenesis in lung development, injury, and repair

Recent evidence has challenged old notions that the development of blood vessels in the lung passively follows that of the airways. Rather, lung blood vessels actively promote alveolar growth during development and contribute to the maintenance of alveolar structures throughout postnatal life. These observations may be relevant for lung diseases characterized by arrested alveolar growth/loss of alveoli and pulmonary hypertension. This short review summarizes the recently recognized role of angiogenic growth factors during normal alveolar development, injury, and repair.