Description
Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), also known as FGF-2 and FGF-β, is a non-glycosylated heparin binding growth factor and member of the FGF family of mitogenic proteins. Members of this family play a central role during prenatal development, postnatal growth and regeneration of a variety of tissues, by promoting cellular proliferation and differentiation (1). bFGF is expressed in the brain, pituitary, kidney, retina, bone, testis, adrenal gland, liver, placenta, and monocytes, epithelial and endothelial cells. It is secreted by mechanisms other than the classical protein secretion pathway due to the lack of a signal peptide. Acidic FGF (aFGF) and bFGF bind to the same high affinity receptors (2). Binding of bFGF to heparin or cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans is a prerequisite for ligation of bFGF to these receptors. aFGF and BFGF have a similar range of biological activities which are implicated in several important physiological and pathological processes, such as embryonic development and differentiation, morphogenesis, angiogenesis, and wound healing (3-4)