Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor as an Immediate-Early Activator of UV-induced Skin Injury

The negative health consequences of acute ultraviolet (UV) exposure are evident, with reports of 30,000 emergency room visits annually to treat the effects of sunburn in the United States alone. Acute effects of sunburn include erythema, edema, and severe pain, and chronic overexposure to UV radiation can lead to skin cancer. While the pain associated with the acute effects of sunburn may be relieved by current interventions, existing post-sunburn treatments are not capable of reversing the cumulative and long-term pathological effects of UV exposure, an unmet clinical need. Here we show that activation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway is a direct and immediate consequence of acute UV exposure, and activation of VEGF signaling is necessary for the initiating the acute pathological effects of sunburn. In UV-exposed human subjects, VEGF signaling is activated within hours. Topical delivery of VEGF pathway inhibitors, targeted against the ligand VEGF-A (gold nanoparticles conjugated with anti-VEGF antibodies) and small molecule antagonists of VEGF receptor signaling, prevent the development of erythema and edema in UV-exposed mice. Collectively, these findings suggest targeting VEGF signaling may reduce the subsequent inflammation and pathology associated with UV-induced skin damage, which reveals a new post-exposure therapeutic window to potentially inhibit the known detrimental effects of UV on human skin.