View article

Background— Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and pulmonary emphysema, both significant global health problems, are characterized by a loss of alveoli. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a trophic factor required for endothelial cell survival and is abundantly expressed in the lung.

Methods and Results— We report that VEGF blockade decreases lung VEGF and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) expression in newborn rats and impairs alveolar development, leading to alveolar simplification and loss of lung capillaries, mimicking BPD. In hyperoxia-induced BPD in newborn rats, air space enlargement and loss of lung capillaries are associated with decreased lung VEGF and VEGFR-2 expression. Postnatal intratracheal adenovirus-mediated VEGF gene therapy improves survival, promotes lung capillary formation, and preserves alveolar development in this model of irreversible lung injury. Combined …