VEGFA and bronchopulmonary dysplasia: In the lungs, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels have been shown to be lower in infants with BPD compared to healthy infants without BPD (D'Angio and Maniscalco, 2002); in addition, treatment with VEGF promoted vessel growth and alveolar structure improvement in lungs of newborn rats subjected to hyperoxic conditions (Thébaud et al., 2005).