VEGFA and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Clinical studies have shown that in T2DM patients, the expression of some molecules that cause chronic structural damage to the vascular endothelium such as inflammatory factors (e.g., IL-6), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and angiopoietin (Ang) are upregulated, whereas the expression of molecules that exert vascular protective effects is significantly downregulated [57, 58].