Role of intestinal angiogenesis on the occurrence of extraintestinal articular manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease

Recent data show that enhanced angiognesis is present in the affected bowel of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). By immunologic investigations on human bowel tissue and by animal research we want to further elucidate the role of angiogenesis in IBD. We also want ot investigate whether intestinal angiogenesis could be involved in the occurrence of articular manifestations in patients with IBD.