Vascular endothelial growth factor B or Placental growth factor (VEGF-B, PlGF)

Vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) and placental growth factor (PlGF) are secreted polypeptides belonging to the VEGF family, which play essential roles in blood vessel formation and vascular homeostasis[1][2][3]. Both primarily bind to VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR-1), but with distinct biological effects: VEGF-B mainly regulates endothelial cell survival and participates in pathological angiogenesis, while PlGF is involved in pathological but not physiological angiogenesis and is particularly linked to inflammation and tissue remodeling. They have overlapping but non-redundant functions and represent distinct therapeutic targets in angiogenesis-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and ocular disorders[2][3]. The designation "VEGF-B, Placental Growth Factor" is incorrect as a single canonical target—each is a distinct protein, encoded by separate genes, and needs to be treated individually when extracting structured information.

Other names

VEGF-BPlGFPGFVEGFBPGF (gene)

Ligand inhibition: Drugs such as aflibercept bind VEGF-B or PlGF, preventing their interaction with receptor VEGFR-1, thus inhibiting angiogenesis. Receptor blockade: Hypothetically, blocking VEGFR-1 also blocks all ligand-mediated signaling.