VEGF as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in depression.
Antidepressants are among the most widely prescribed drugs, however the mechanism underlying their therapeutic efficacy is not known. Neurotrophic factors represent a promising class of targets for antidepressant treatments. We recently characterized a role for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cellular and behavioral antidepressant responses. VEGF is a potent mitogen and survival factor for endothelial cells (ECs) and neurons, and modulator of synaptic transmission. Because VEGF has been implicated in a variety of diseases, understanding the molecular and cellular specificity of antidepressant-induced VEGF will be crucial to determine its potential as a therapeutic target in depression.
The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA. jschmidt@rockefeller.edu
Jennifer L
JL
Warner-Schmidt
Ronald S
RS
Duman
D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000502:physiology*
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A