Angiogenic factor

Angiogenic factors are a diverse group of signaling proteins and peptides that orchestrate the process of angiogenesis, which is the growth of new blood vessels from the existing vasculature [6, 15]. This group includes prominent growth factors such as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF), and Angiopoietins, as well as various cytokines and enzymes like matrix metalloproteinases [6, 7, 15]. In a physiological context, these proteins are vital for embryonic development, wound repair, and the menstrual cycle, where they maintain a delicate balance with anti-angiogenic factors [10, 12, 15]. However, in pathological states like cancer, the "angiogenic switch" is permanently activated, leading to the overproduction of these proteins to support tumor growth and metastasis [5, 6, 9]. They also play a critical role in ocular diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy by promoting the formation of leaky, abnormal vessels [6, 7, 8]. Consequently, angiogenic factors are major therapeutic targets; drugs like bevacizumab and various multi-kinase inhibitors are designed to inhibit their activity to treat malignancy and vision loss [3, 4, 5, 11].

Other names

Angiogenic proteinsAngiogenic factorsPro-angiogenic factorsNeovascularization factors

Anti-angiogenic drugs function through several distinct mechanisms: (1) direct neutralization of pro-angiogenic ligands (e.g., bevacizumab binding to VEGF-A), (2) sequestration of ligands using decoy receptors (e.g., aflibercept), (3) inhibition of receptor tyrosine kinase activity to block downstream signaling (e.g., sunitinib, sorafenib), and (4) modulation of the immune system or endothelial cell environment (e.g., thalidomide) [4, 5, 11, 14].