1 Introduction
Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting
ones, is known to play an important part in the development
and destabilisation of atherosclerotic plaques .
Angiogenesis occurs when there is an imbalance between
pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic growth factors and vascular
endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most important
pro-angiogenic growth factor in humans [4–6]. VEGF stimulates
cellular responses by binding to type III receptor tyrosine
kinases on the cell surface which causes the receptors
to dimerise and become activated through transphosphorylation.
VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) is the majormediator of the
mitogenic, angiogenic and permeability enhancing effects of
VEGF [6, 7].
Data from numerous epidemiological studies have indicated
that individuals who consume the largest quantities
of fruits and vegetables in their diets have lower rates of