VEGFA and vulvovaginal candidiasis: The tissue response to vulvovaginal candidiasis is characterized by enhanced vascularization through VEGF (415.08 pg/mg, p = 0.0226) upregulation, along with concurrent increases in the antimicrobial peptides SLPI (22092 pg/mg, p = <.0001) and BD-2 (660.26 pg/mg, p = 0.0016) [12].