In vitro and in vivo study of the expression vector encoding vascular endothelial growth factor

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic cytokine with potential therapeutic applications in human diseases. It is a mitogen primarily for endothelial cells. The transfer of the cDNA encoding VEGF to ischemic tissues, which cannot be revascularized otherwise, represents a novel and promising approach to the treatment of vascular disorders. In this work the VEGF165 cDNA was cloned into the expression vector pSecTag2B. The activity of the construct was studied in cell culture as well as in vivo. Western blotting study showed that the cells transfected with the vector secreted significantly higher amounts of VEGF to the culture medium than the non-transfected cells. In vivo study revealed an increased number of new vessels in animals injected with vector encoding VEGF as compared with empty plasmid. Also, tumor cells transfected with the VEGF plasmid exhibited extensive vascularization.