We conclude that proangiogenic VEGF, and profibrotic FGF-2 and PDGF-AB may contribute to the progression of sarcoidosis, whereas TGF-β1, with its dual anti-inflammatory and profibrotic actions, may play a dichotomous protective or deleterious role.
In this study, we examined whether haplotypes of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 are associated with the onset or the course of sarcoidosis.
Since activated macrophages and monocytes are known to be involved in sarcoid granuloma formation in sarcoidosis, we investigated the expression of VEGF and its receptor flt in 33 paraffin-embedded lung tissue biopsies of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.