title: VEGF increases the permeability of sheep pleura ex vivo through VEGFR2 stimulation.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a cytokine that increases vascular permeability to water and proteins and induces angiogenesis, has been implicated in the development of pleural effusions. Inflammatory and malignant pleural effusions are rich in VEGF content while mesothelial cells produce and excrete VEGF. In this report we aimed at investigating by means of electrophysiology the direct effects of VEGF on the parietal and visceral sheep pleura as well as the type of receptors that mediate this effect. Our findings show that VEGF has a direct effect on the pleural mesothelium rendering it more permeable and this effect is mediated through the stimulation of VEGF receptor 2. Our findings shed more light to the role of VEGF in the pathogenesis of pleural effusions and provide functional evidence for a role of VEGFR2 on the pleural mesothelium that has never been studied before.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Vasiliki I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Peppa
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Zoi V
authors.initials: ZV
authors.lastname: Arsenopoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece. Electronic address: szarog@med.uth.gr.
authors.forename: Sotirios G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Zarogiannis
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Triantafyllia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deligiorgi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jagirdar
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Makantasis
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stefanidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Liakopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Paschalis-Adam
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Molyvdas
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Gourgoulianis
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa 41110, Greece.
authors.forename: Chrissi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hatzoglou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D010539:Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D010994:Pleura / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012756:Sheep; D013997:Time Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2
keywords: Mesothelium; Permeability; Pleura; VEGF; VEGF receptors