Beneficial effects of vascular endothelial growth factor B gene transfer in the aged heart.

Nivethitha Manickam, Ibrahim Sultan, Josefine Panthel, Haris Kujundzic, Ariane Fischer, Katja Schmitz, Mariano Ruz Jurado, David Rodriguez Morales, David John, Simone-Franziska Glaser, Kathrin A Stilz, Pedro Felipe Malacarne, Ralf Peter Brandes, Thomas Braun, Carolin Lerchenmüller, Fynn Betge, Wesley T Abplanalp, Kari Alitalo, Stefanie Dimmeler, Julian U G Wagner

Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Centre for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany.Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Centre for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Members of the VEGF family are crucial modulators of vascular and neural function. While VEGFA signaling has been shown to mitigate several aging-related cardiac phenotypes and prolong survival in aged mice, the role of VEGFB in cardiac aging remains underexplored. In this study, we identify a significant decline in Vegfb expression, particularly of its soluble isoform Vegfb186, in aged mouse and human hearts. To assess the therapeutic potential of VEGFB in aging-associated cardiac pathologies, we used AAV9-mediated gene transfer to overexpress Vegfb186 in 18-month-old male C57Bl/6J mice.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper claims that overexpression of Vegfb186 can mitigate aging-associated cardiac pathologies in the heart. The study addresses a potential therapeutic approach to a root cause of aging-related cardiac decline, which is relevant to longevity research.

Author of this paper? Send a correction.