{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.034764826175869123, 'fraction_numerical': 0.006134969325153374, 'mean_word_length': 5.495575221238938, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
VEGF-functionalized dextran has longer intracellular bioactivity than VEGF in endothelial cells.

Herein, we report that VEGF-functionalized dextran (dexOx-VEGF) is comparatively superior to free VEGF in prolonging the phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). Both dexOx-VEGF and free VEGF activate VEGFR-2, and the complexes are internalized into early endosomes (EEA1(+) vesicles) and then transported to lysosomes (Rab7(+) vesicles). However, after cell activation, dexOx-VEGF is preferentially colocalized in early endosomes where VEGF signaling is still active while free VEGF is preferentially transported to late endosomes or lysosomes. We further show that dexOx-VEGF after phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 induces an increase of intracellular Ca(2+) and activates VEGF downstream effectors such as Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) proteins. Under specific conditions, the activation level is different from the one observed for free VEGF, thus suggesting mechanistic differences, which is illustrated by cell migration and cord-like formation studies. DexOx-VEGF can be cross-linked with adipic acid dihydrazide to form a degradable gel, which in turn can be incorporated in a fibrin gel containing endothelial cells (ECs) to modulate their activity. We envision that these constructs might be beneficial to extend the pro-angiogenic activity of VEGF in ischemic tissues and to modulate the biological activity of vascular cells.