Figure 4

3D simulation of capillary network growth during the single-bout exercise. A) Time course of capillary growth was simulated based on the timeline scheme for exercise-induced angiogenesis. The simulation leads to new capillary network at: B) 1 h post-exercise; C) 3 h; D) 5 h; E) 7 h; F) 8 h. When new capillary segments grow out of boundaries (Arrow 1), capillary will grow from corresponding periodic boundaries (Arrow 2). Arrows 3-5 refer to the capillary anastomoses during growth. Vessels colored in red represent the pre-existing microvascular vessels, ones in light blue are the newly-developed blind-ended capillaries, and ones in dark blue are new capillary anastomoses. G) Relative capillary length change vs time.