Maharaj Arindel S R, D'Amore Patricia A
Schepens Eye Research Institute, 20 Staniford St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Microvasc Res. 2007 Sep-Nov;74(2-3):100-13. doi: 10.1016/j.mvr.2007.03.004. Epub 2007 Apr 6.
The role of VEGF during development and in pathology is well known, but its function in normal adult tissues is poorly understood. Adverse effects associated with the use of anti-angiogenic therapies targeting VEGF in human pathologies have begun to reveal potential functions of VEGF in quiescent vasculature. Further clues from expression studies of VEGF and its receptors in the adult, from the disease preeclampsia, and from experimental neutralization studies, have suggested that VEGF is involved in endothelial cell survival and fenestration, as well as in the signaling and maintenance of non-endothelial cells. The various biochemical properties of VEGF, and its interaction with other growth factors, may be an important point in determining whether VEGF functions as a maintenance factor versus an angiogenic factor. A thorough understanding of the function of VEGF in the adult may lead to more efficacious pro- and anti-angiogenic therapies.
血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）在发育过程和病理学中的作用已广为人知，但其在正常成年组织中的功能却鲜为人知。在人类病理学中，针对VEGF使用抗血管生成疗法所带来的不良反应，已开始揭示VEGF在静止脉管系统中的潜在功能。来自VEGF及其受体在成体中的表达研究、子痫前期疾病以及实验性中和研究的进一步线索表明，VEGF参与内皮细胞存活和窗孔形成，以及非内皮细胞的信号传导和维持。VEGF的各种生化特性及其与其他生长因子的相互作用，可能是决定VEGF作为维持因子还是血管生成因子发挥作用的一个重要因素。深入了解VEGF在成体中的功能，可能会带来更有效的促血管生成和抗血管生成疗法。
