VEGFA and inflammatory response: Our results from plasma incubation experiments, combined with findings from our previous studies that demonstrate that PM2.5 by inducing pulmonary oxidative stress stimulates vascular inflammation and insulin/VEGF resistance (17, 20), suggest that PM2.5-induced vascular inflammation and insulin/VEGF resistance is caused by a circulating factor and that the generation of this circulating factor is dependent on pulmonary oxidative stress.