Background: Ultraviolet (UV)-B irradiation has been shown to be an inducer of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in primary keratinocytes and epidermal cell lines in vitro.
Objectives: To determine the expression pattern and the causal role of VEGF in the UVB-mediated angiogenic response in vivo in human skin and in a mouse model.
Methods: Skin biopsies or epidermal lysates thereof were studied for VEGF expression following UVB irradiation at a dose of 50 or 60 mJ cm-2, respectively, using immunostaining and a VEGF-specific highly sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The VEGF-dependent increase in vessels upon repetitive UVB irradiation was studied in skh-1 hairless mice using immunostaining for factor VIII-related antigen (FVIII RAG) in the presence and absence of intraperitoneally injected neutralizing VEGF antibodies.
Results: VEGF was found to be induced in the epidermis following UVB irradiation of human and mouse skin. Repetitive UVB irradiation of skh-1 hairless mice resulted in an increase in FVIII RAG positive vessels in the skin. UVB-induced angiogenic response could be partly abrogated by neutralizing antibodies against VEGF, while isotype-matched IgG control antibodies did not reveal any suppressive effect.
Conclusions: Our results support previous in vitro data and show the in vivo relevance of VEGF as a paracrine inducer of cutaneous vessels after UVB irradiation.