EG-VEGF: a key endocrine factor in placental development.
Endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (EG-VEGF), also named prokineticin 1, is the canonical member of the prokineticin family. Numerous reports suggest a direct involvement of this peptide in normal and pathological reproductive processes. Recent advances propose EG-VEGF as a key endocrine factor that controls many aspects of placental development and suggest its involvement in the development of preeclampsia (PE), the most threatening pathology of human pregnancy. This review describes the finely tuned action and regulation of EG-VEGF throughout human pregnancy, argues for its clinical relevance as a potential diagnostic marker of the onset of PE, and discusses future research directions for therapeutic targeting of EG-VEGF.
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Unité 1036, Grenoble, France.
Sophie
S
Brouillet
Pascale
P
Hoffmann
Jean-Jacques
JJ
Feige
Nadia
N
Alfaidy
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D010929:Placentation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D042662:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Endocrine-Gland-Derived / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D042662:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Endocrine-Gland-Derived