BACKGROUND: Angiopoietins (Ang) are essential angiogenic factors involved in angiogenesis, vascular maturation, and inflammation. The most studied angiopoietins, angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), behave antagonistically to each other in vivo to sustain vascular endothelium homeostasis. While Ang-1 typically acts as the endothelium-protective mediator, its context-dependent antagonist Ang-2 can promote endothelium permeability and vascular destabilization, hence contributing to …