RETRACTION: "Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Induces Manganese-Superoxide Dismutase Expression in Endothelial...

M. R. Abid, J. C. Tsai, K. C. Spokes, S. S. Deshpande, K. Irani, W. C. Aird, "Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Induces Manganese-Superoxide Dismutase Expression in Endothelial Cells by a Racl-regulated NADPH Oxidase-Dependent Mechanism," The FASEB Journal 15, no. 13 (2001): 2548-2550, https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.01-0338fje. The above article, published online on 17 September 2001 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Loren E. Wold; the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology; and Wiley Periodicals, LLC. The retraction has been agreed due to concerns raised by third parties. Specifically, image duplications within Figure 1B, between Figure 1A and Figure 2A, and within Figure 5C have been detected, with the same panels being presented in a different scientific context. The corresponding author stated that the raw data were no longer available due to the time elapsed since publication. Nevertheless, the corresponding author and the first author cooperated with the investigation and provided their own assessment based on the available resources. They confirmed a high degree of similarity affecting the Western blot panels in question but maintained that, because the original source materials could not be located, unresolved uncertainty remained as to whether the panels were duplicated. They also disputed the characterization of the panels shown in Figure 5C as duplicated. However, the editors considered the response and supporting materials insufficient to resolve the concerns, as the similarities were found too extensive to be attributable to coincidence. Accordingly, the article has been retracted, as the editors have lost confidence in the results and conclusions presented. The first author and the corresponding author were informed of the retraction decision and disagreed with it. The remaining co-authors could not be reached.