Saying NO to asthma

The mechanisms that VEGF uses to exert its effects on endothelial cells have been studied in depth. For example, VEGF has been shown to induce proliferation, sprouting and migration of endothelial cells. In contrast, very little is known about the mechanisms that VEGF uses to induce extravascular responses, for example, in the lung or other tissues.

Yale researchers now report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that targets controlling production of nitric oxide could be of use for treating asthma because they modulate VEGF-mediated inflammation in the lungs. ...