Placental growth factor: a tissue modelling factor with therapeutic potentials in neurology?

Placental growth factor (PlGF) is an angiogenic factor that belongs to the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family. Besides its well known capacity to potentiate the angiogenic action of VEGF, PIGF also participates in inflammatory processes by attracting and activating monocytes; it plays therefore more specifically a role in pathological conditions. PlGF and its two receptors, VEGFR-1 and neuropilins (NRPs), are expressed in the brain and increase after experimental stroke, but their precise functions in the nervous system remain under-explored. In this review article, we summarize present knowledge on the role of PIGF in various nervous system disease processes. Given the available data, PIGF has neuroprotective and neurotrophic properties that make it an actor of considerable interest in the pathophysiology and potentially in the therapy of degenerative and traumatic brain or spinal cord diseases.