RGD Reference Report - Vascular endothelial growth factor is expressed in multiple sclerosis plaques and can induce inflammatory lesions in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis rats. - Rat Genome Database

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Vascular endothelial growth factor is expressed in multiple sclerosis plaques and can induce inflammatory lesions in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis rats.

Authors: Proescholdt, MA  Jacobson, S  Tresser, N  Oldfield, EH  Merrill, MJ 
Citation: Proescholdt MA, etal., J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2002 Oct;61(10):914-25.
RGD ID: 634258
Pubmed: PMID:12387457   (View Abstract at PubMed)

The active lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) are characterized by blood-brain-barrier (BBB) breakdown, upregulation of adhesion molecules on capillary endothelial cells, and perivascular inflammation, suggesting that altered vessel permeability and activated endothelial cells are involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mediates multiple aspects of blood vessel physiology, including regulation of growth, permeability, and inflammation. To investigate a possible relationship between VEGF expression and CNS autoimmune disease, we examined VEGF expression in MS plaques compared to normal white matter by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. VEGF expression was consistently upregulated in both acute and chronic MS plaques. We also examined VEGF expression during the course of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats. VEGF-positive cells with astrocytic morphology increased in the spinal cord during the development of EAE and were found in association with inflammatory cells. Furthermore, intracerebral infusion of VEGF in animals previously immunized with myelin basic protein induced an inflammatory response in the brain, whereas infusion of vehicle, or infusion of VEGF in naive animals, did not. These results suggest that overexpression of VEGF may exacerbate the inflammatory response in autoimmune diseases of the CNS by inducing focal BBB breakdown and migration of inflammatory cells into the lesions.

RGD Manual Disease Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View
TermQualifierEvidenceWithReferenceNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis  IDA 634258 RGD 
Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis  ISOVegfa (Rattus norvegicus)634258 RGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Vegfa  (vascular endothelial growth factor A)

Genes (Mus musculus)
Vegfa  (vascular endothelial growth factor A)


Additional Information