Paracrine signaling via growth factors, cytokines, and extracellular vesicles

Paracrine signaling is a form of cell-to-cell communication where a cell produces signaling molecules—such as growth factors, cytokines, or components carried within extracellular vesicles—that act on nearby cells to modulate their behavior, but do not circulate systemically as hormones would. These molecules influence diverse biological processes, including embryonic development, tissue repair, immune modulation, and maintenance of normal tissue homeostasis. The most comprehensively characterized paracrine factors and associated signaling pathways include fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), members of the Wnt family, Hedgehog proteins, and the TGF-β superfamily. Paracrine signaling plays an important role in pathological contexts such as tumorigenesis, inflammation, and tissue fibrosis, but is not, by itself, a direct molecular target for therapeutic intervention—instead, drugs are developed to inhibit or modulate specific growth factors, cytokines, or their receptors.

Other names

Paracrine signalingParacrine communicationParacrine factorsParacrine cell signaling