Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and its vital catalytic role in promotion of invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF) is a mitogen that specifically acts on glyco-sylated cells of endothelial cells, enhances vascular permeability, induces angiogenesis, promotes the growth, invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The prognosis of patients with high expres-sion of vascular endothelial growth factor is poor. Down-regulation of VEGF can significantly inhibit the ma-lignant proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC) and improve patients′ prognosis. This article sys-tematically reviewed the recent advances in VEGF expression and its role in promoting the invasion and me-tastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells as well as in VEGF-targeted anti-angiogenesis therapy for patients with HCC, aiming to provide some novel ideas to delay the disease progression in the patients.