Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)
The primary growth factor stimulating angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation). VEGF is critical for wound healing, embryonic development, and tumour growth. Understanding VEGF biology is relevant to both pro-angiogenic tissue repair research and anti-angiogenic cancer therapy approaches.
Technical Context
The VEGF family includes VEGF-A (the primary member), VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and PlGF (placental growth factor), acting through receptor tyrosine kinases VEGFR-1 (Flt-1), VEGFR-2 (KDR/Flk-1, primary signalling receptor), and VEGFR-3 (lymphangiogenesis). VEGF-A is the master regulator of angiogenesis: hypoxia activates HIF-1α → VEGF-A transcription → endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. In wound healing, VEGF-driven angiogenesis is essential for granulation tissue formation. In tumour biology, VEGF enables tumour neovascularisation — NETs are often highly vascular, which facilitates somatostatin receptor-targeted imaging and therapy. Anti-VEGF therapies (bevacizumab) are cornerstone cancer treatments. In the research peptide space, compounds claiming pro-angiogenic properties for tissue repair must demonstrate VEGF pathway activation in relevant models.