Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF)
A growth factor that stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells, promoting wound closure by stimulating skin cell migration and division. EGF acts through the EGF receptor (EGFR) and is relevant to wound healing and skin biology research.
Technical Context
EGF (53 amino acids) was the first growth factor discovered (Stanley Cohen, Nobel Prize 1986). It acts through the EGF receptor (EGFR/ErbB1, a receptor tyrosine kinase) expressed on keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and other epithelial cells. EGFR activation → Ras-MAPK and PI3K-Akt pathways → cell proliferation, migration, and survival. In wound healing, EGF stimulates keratinocyte migration and proliferation (driving re-epithelialisation), promotes fibroblast growth factor production, and inhibits gastric acid secretion (relevant to gastrointestinal mucosal healing). Recombinant human EGF is approved in some countries for diabetic foot ulcers (primarily in Cuba and South Korea). EGFR is also a major oncology target (overexpressed in many cancers) — anti-EGFR therapies (cetuximab, erlotinib) are established cancer treatments, illustrating the dual role of growth factor pathways in repair and malignancy.