A Structural Overview of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors Pharmacological Ligands: From Macromolecules to Designed Peptidomimetics.

ABSTRACT: The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of cytokines plays a key role in vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis. VEGF-A is the main member of this family, alongside placental growth factor (PlGF), VEGF-B/C/D in mammals, and VEGF-E/F in other organisms. To study the activities of these growth factors under physiological and pathological conditions, resulting in therapeutic applications in cancer and age-related macular degeneration, blocking ligands have been developed. These have mostly been large biomolecules like antibodies. Ligands with high affinities, at least in the nanomolar range, and accurate structural data from X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy have been described. They constitute the main focus of this overview, which evidences similarities an

SUBMITTER: Ye X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8625919 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature