scholarly journals Snake Venom Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (VEGF-Fs) Exclusively Vary Their Structures and Functions among Species

2009 ◽  
Vol 284 (15) ◽  
pp. 9885-9891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuo Yamazaki ◽  
Yukiko Matsunaga ◽  
Yuko Tokunaga ◽  
Shinya Obayashi ◽  
Mai Saito ◽  
...  
Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (15) ◽  
pp. 2778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orsolya Péterfi ◽  
Francisc Boda ◽  
Zoltán Szabó ◽  
Elek Ferencz ◽  
László Bába

Hypertension is considered a major public health issue due to its high prevalence and subsequent risk of cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Thus, the search for new antihypertensive compounds remains of great interest. Snake venoms provide an abundant source of lead molecules that affect the cardiovascular system, which makes them prominent from a pharmaceutical perspective. Such snake venom components include bradykinin potentiating peptides (proline-rich oligopeptides), natriuretic peptides, phospholipases A2, serine-proteases and vascular endothelial growth factors. Some heparin binding hypotensive factors, three-finger toxins and 5′ nucleotidases can also exert blood pressure lowering activity. Great advances have been made during the last decade regarding the understanding of the mechanism of action of these hypotensive proteins. Bradykinin potentiating peptides exert their action primarily by inhibiting the angiotensin-converting enzyme and increasing the effect of endogenous bradykinin. Snake venom phospholipases A2 are capable of reducing blood pressure through the production of arachidonic acid, a precursor of cyclooxygenase metabolites (prostaglandins or prostacyclin). Other snake venom proteins mimic the effects of endogenous kallikrein, natriuretic peptides or vascular endothelial growth factors. The aim of this work was to review the current state of knowledge regarding snake venom components with potential antihypertensive activity and their mechanisms of action.


Author(s):  
Isabela Gobbo Ferreira ◽  
Manuela Berto Pucca ◽  
Isadora Sousa de Oliveira ◽  
Felipe Augusto Cerni ◽  
Beatriz de Cássia da Silva Jacob ◽  
...  

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Jaana Künnapuu ◽  
Honey Bokharaie ◽  
Michael Jeltsch

Specific proteolytic cleavages turn on, modify, or turn off the activity of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs). Proteolysis is most prominent among the lymph­angiogenic VEGF-C and VEGF-D, which are synthesized as precursors that need to undergo enzymatic removal of their C- and N-terminal propeptides before they can activate their receptors. At least five different proteases mediate the activating cleavage of VEGF-C: plasmin, ADAMTS3, prostate-specific antigen, cathepsin D, and thrombin. All of these proteases except for ADAMTS3 can also activate VEGF-D. Processing by different proteases results in distinct forms of the “mature” growth factors, which differ in affinity and receptor activation potential. The “default” VEGF-C-activating enzyme ADAMTS3 does not activate VEGF-D, and therefore, VEGF-C and VEGF-D do function in different contexts. VEGF-C itself is also regulated in different contexts by distinct proteases. During embryonic development, ADAMTS3 activates VEGF-C. The other activating proteases are likely important for non-developmental lymphangiogenesis during, e.g., tissue regeneration, inflammation, immune response, and pathological tumor-associated lymphangiogenesis. The better we understand these events at the molecular level, the greater our chances of developing successful therapies targeting VEGF-C and VEGF-D for diseases involving the lymphatics such as lymphedema or cancer.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Białas ◽  
Grzegorz Dyduch ◽  
Joanna Dudała ◽  
Monika Bereza-Buziak ◽  
Alicja Hubalewska-Dydejczyk ◽  
...  

Angiogenesis (neoangiogenesis), a process of neovascularization, is an essential step for local tumor growth and distant metastasis formation. We have analysed angiogenesis status: vascular architecture, microvessel density, and vascular endothelial growth factors expression in 62 adrenal pheochromocytomas: 57 benign and 5 malignant. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed that vascular architecture and vessel density are different in the central and subcapsular areas of the tumor. Furthermore, we have observed a strong correlation between number of macrophages and microvessel density in the central and subcapsular areas of the tumor and between the expression of VEGF-A in tumor cells and microvessel density in central and subcapsular areas of the tumor. Secondary changes in these tumors influence the results and both vascular architecture and microvessel density are markedly disturbed by hemorrhagic and cystic changes in pheochromocytomas. These changes are partially caused by laparoscopic operation technique. However, no differences in vascular parameters were found between pheochromocytomas with benign and malignant clinical behavior. Our observation showed that analysis of angiogenesis, as a single feature, does not help in differentiating malignant and benign pheochromocytomas and has no independent prognostic significance. On the other hand, high microvessel density in pheochromocytoma is a promising factor for antiangiogenic therapy in malignant cases.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon P. Verdoorn ◽  
Changyong Feng ◽  
William A. Ricke ◽  
Deepak M. Sahasrabudhe ◽  
Deepak Kilari ◽  
...  

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