Experimental cell research
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Retracted Publication
Paracrine signaling by VEGF-C promotes non-small cell lung cancer cell metastasis via recruitment of tumor-associated macrophages.
High expression of tumoral vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) is correlated with clinical non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis and patient survival. Nevertheless, the comprehensive mechanisms accounting for VEGF-C-mediated cancer progression remain largely unclear. The present study found that VEGF-C expression was upregulated in various NSCLC cell lines. ⋯ Finally, the functional importance of macrophage infiltration induced by tumoral VEGF-C in promoting metastasis was established in a mouse model. In conclusion, our results highlight a novel function of tumoral VEGF-C that paracrinely induces macrophage recruitment, and resultantly promotes NSCLC cell metastasis. Therefore, VEGF-C/VEGFR-2/3 axis may be a promising microenvironmental target against progression of NSCLC.