title: Growth factors and vascular wall.
abstract: The reactivity and the structure as well as the growth of the vascular wall depend on a variety of locally synthetised factors in a process of a permanent structure-function adaptation. These substances exert their inhibitory or stimulatory growth effects by paracrine or autocrine mechanisms. These factors command the reorganisation of the structure of existing blood vessel or the creation of new vessels. They are synthetised and secreted form either endothelial and smooth muscle cells or circulating cells (in particular macrophages, platelets). The growth factors are multiple and interactive insuring a role of physiological vascular modeling in normal conditions but they may participate and even induce dramatic structural dysfunctions that are observed in pathologies such as venous diseases, atherosclerosis or hypertension. Among them, the polypeptides PDGF (platelet derived growth factor), FGF (fibroblast growth factor) and TGF beta (transforming growth factor beta) play a major role. Other factors like cytokines, IGFs (insulin like growth factors), PAF (platelet activating factor) endothelins or nitric oxide have also to be considered. Thus, the vascular wall structure is under the influence of a complex group of growth factors which become to be identified and may be the targets of new therapies of the vessels.
authors.affiliation: Institut Henri Beaufour, Les Ulis, France.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Chabrier
mesh_terms: D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006133:Growth Substances