Maternal nicotine effects on vascular endothelial growth factor expression and morphometry in rat lungs

Maternal nicotine exposure during pregnancy decreases VEGF and VEGFR-2 mRNA expression and alters lung structure in the lungs of postnatal rats. Because angiogenesis is vital for alveolarization during normal lung development, these results suggest that decreased VEGF expression might be involved in the structural alterations of the developing lung after exposure to antenatal nicotine.