The effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on human orbital preadipocyte

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To investigate the presence of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and its receptor (VEGFR) in human orbital preadipocytes, and to evaluate the effect of VEGF on human orbital preadipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis in vitro.Results: Four isoforms of VEGF (VEGF121, 155, 189, and 206), VEGFR-1, VEGF-2, and neuropilin-1 were expressed in human orbital preadipocytes. Treatment with 100 ng/ml VEGF induced higher expressions of C/EBPα and LPL than the non-treated control (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01) or treatment with 50ng/ml (p = 0.04 for both). At both concentrations VEGF enhanced the accumulation of intra-cytoplasmic lipid versus the control, and treatment with 100 ng/ml VEGF induced more lipid accumulation than treatment with 50 ng/ml VEGF (p = 0.03).Conclusions: VEGF and VEGFR were observed in human orbital preadipocytes, and exogenous VEGF enhanced adipogenesis in these cells. These results suggest that VEGF plays a role as an autocrine or paracrine growth factor during human orbital preadipocyte differentiation.

KEYWORDS:

• Adipogenesis
• orbital preadipocyte
• preadipocyte
• vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
• vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology (30-2012-003), Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea.