Insight into the role of chondroitin sulfate E in angiogenesis

<jats:p>Chondroitin sulfate E (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content>‐E) is a glycosaminoglycan containing type‐E disaccharide units (sulfated at C‐4 and C‐6 of <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐acetylgalactosamine). <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content>‐E is covalently linked to a core protein to form chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PG</jats:styled-content>s) that are secreted or associated with the plasma membrane of several types of cells. <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content>‐E‐containing <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PG</jats:styled-content>s selectively interact with growth factors and chemokines and control various cellular and/or tissue processes. Angiogenesis is a process that is highly regulated in physiological conditions but deregulated in pathologies, leading to excess or deficient blood vessel formation. Angiogenesis regulation is orchestrated by numerous growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor A, fibroblast growth factors and pleiotrophin, whose functions can be affected by <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content>‐containing <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PG</jats:styled-content>s. In the present review, we focus on the emerging area of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content>‐mediated angiogenesis and particularly on the critical assessment of data related to a potential role of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content>‐E in controlling endothelial cell functions, focusing on angiogenesis regulation and vascular homeostasis in health and disease.</jats:p>