Cause
Cherry angiomas appear spontaneously in many people in middle age but can also, although less common, occur in young people. They can also occur in an aggressive eruptive manner in any age. The underlying cause for the development of cherry angiomas is not understood, probably due to a lack of interest in the subject, given that they only rarely indicate internal malignancy.
Taken together with previous evidence, the present findings suggest that this hemangioma may have occurred through two different mechanisms: angiogenesis (the formation of new blood) and vasculogenesis (the formation of new veins).
The first study trying to bring light to the molecular and genetic mechanisms behind cherry/senile hemangioma was recently published. The study found that the level of MicroRNA 424 is significantly reduced in senile hemangiomas compared to normal skin resulting in increased protein expression of MEK1 and Cyclin E1. By inhibiting mir-424 in normal endothelial cells they could observe the same increased protein expression of MEK1 and Cyclin E1 which, important for the development of senile hemangioma; induced cell proliferation of the endothelial cells. They also found that targeting MEK1 and Cyclin E1 with small interfering RNA decreased the number of endothelial cells.
Chemicals and compounds that have been seen to cause cherry angiomas are mustard gas, 2-butoxyethanol, bromides and cyclosporine.
A significant increase in the density of mast cells has been seen in cherry hemangiomas compared with normal skin.
Read more about this topic: Cherry Hemangioma