It is generally reported that NaBu is an inhibitor of histone deacetylases (HDACs)35, 36, 37, and this inhibition has been utilised in relation to cancer; however, from a vascular perspective at high concentrations (>500 μg/ml) butyrate inhibited VEGF production by glioblastoma cells28, The most recent paper in this area by Kim and Chuang38 found a similar result to ours in that NaBu protected against ischaemia-induced injury in a rat model-in part at least through up-regulation of VEGF protein. The gene discussed is VEGFA; the disease is cancer.