Macrophage Colony‐Stimulating Factor (M‐CSF), As Well As Granulocyte Colony‐Stimulating Factor (G‐CSF), Accelerates Neovascularization

It has been reported that bone marrow cells (BMCs) differentiate into endothelial cells of blood vessels, and that granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) mobilizes progenitors in the BMCs to the peripheral blood, while macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF) augments the production of monocytes. We examined whether M‐CSF augments the differentiation of BMCs into endothelial cells of blood vessels using a hindlimb‐ischemic model. Either G‐CSF or M‐CSF, or both, was administered to the hindlimb‐ischemic mice for 3 days. Both M‐CSF and G‐CSF augmented the differentiation of BMCs into endothelial cells of blood vessels through vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), resulting in early recovery of blood flow in the ischemic limbs.