Figure 6.

Cellular sources and actions of VEGF during wound healing. During wound healing, VEGF is produced by a variety of cell types, including keratinocytes, mast cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts (top). The VEGF produced in response to injury plays a role in many aspects of wound healing (bottom). During the acute phases of healing, VEGF stimulates vascular permeability and adhesion molecule expression, which aids in the recruitment of inflammatory cells. VEGF levels can influence the rate of wound closure/re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, granulation tissue formation, and the strength of the healed wound during the proliferative phase. VEGF can also promote the formation of scar tissue during the scar formation/remodeling phase.