Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor from Embryonic Status to Cardiovascular Pathology

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a multifunctional cytokine with distinct functions in angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, vascular permeability, and hematopoiesis. VEGF is a highly conserved, disulfide-bonded dimeric glycoprotein of ۳۴ to ۴۵ kDa produced by several cell types including fibroblasts, neutrophils, endothelial cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, particularly T lymphocytes and macrophages. Six VEGF isoforms are generated as a result of alternative splicing from a single VEGF gene, consisting of ۱۲۱, ۱۴۵, ۱۶۵, ۱۸۳, ۱۸۹, or ۲۰۶ amino acids. VEGF۱۲۱, VEGF۱۴۵, and VEGF۱۶۵ are secreted whereas VEGF۱۸۳, VEGF۱۸۹, and VEGF۲۰۶ are cell membrane-bound. VEGF۱۴۵ has a key role during the vascularization of the human ovarian follicle and corpus luteum, in the placentation and embryonic periods, and in bone and wound healing, while VEGF۱۶۵ is the most abundant and biologically active isoform. VEGF has been linked with a number of vascular pathologies including cardiovascular diseases such ischemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and diabetes and its related complications. In this review we aimed to present some important roles of VEGF in a number of clinical issues and indicate its involvement in several phenomena from the initial steps of the embryonic period to cardiovascular diseases.