VEGF increases the permeability of sheep pleura ex vivo through VEGFR2 stimulation

•VEGF has direct effects on the sheep pleura increasing its permeability.•The effect of VEGF is mediated through the stimulation of VEGFR2.•SU5416 has non-specific effects on the visceral pleura increasing its permeability.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a cytokine that increases vascular permeability to water and proteins and induces angiogenesis, has been implicated in the development of pleural effusions. Inflammatory and malignant pleural effusions are rich in VEGF content while mesothelial cells produce and excrete VEGF. In this report we aimed at investigating by means of electrophysiology the direct effects of VEGF on the parietal and visceral sheep pleura as well as the type of receptors that mediate this effect. Our findings show that VEGF has a direct effect on the pleural mesothelium rendering it more permeable and this effect is mediated through the stimulation of VEGF receptor 2. Our findings shed more light to the role of VEGF in the pathogenesis of pleural effusions and provide functional evidence for a role of VEGFR2 on the pleural mesothelium that has never been studied before.