Dobesilate is an angiogenesis inhibitor

Aberrant angiogenesis is essential for the progression of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Antiangiogenic therapy is one of the most promising approaches to treat such diseases. Dobesilate is an oral agent for treatment of vascular complications of diabetic retinopathy. We have examined the possibility that this compound could interfere with the process of angiogenesis in a mouse gelatine sponge assay using acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) as an inducer of neovascularization. According to the results reported here, dobesilate remarkably reduced vessel ingrowth in aFGF-containing subcutaneous sponges in mice. These findings suggest that dobesilate could be an effective agent in the treatment of angiogenesis-dependent diseases involving FGFs.