EGF and viral infectious disease: Interestingly, heparanase has been shown to affect the bioavailability of signaling molecules such as EGF, Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that are known regulators of viral infections, thus playing an important role in the signaling pathways involved in viral pathogenesis [99].