Mouse, Rat, and Hamster Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C (VEGF-C) is a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family, which includes VEGF-A, VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and placental growth factor (PlGF)—key regulators of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. In mice (Mus musculus), rats (Rattus norvegicus), and hamsters (e.g., Mesocricetus auratus), the VEGF-C protein is identical at the amino acid level, indicating strong evolutionary conservation and suggesting similar biological functions across these rodent species. VEGF-C is produced by a variety of cell types including macrophages, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, and epithelial cells, particularly during development, inflammation, or tissue remodeling. VEGF-C is synthesized as a precursor protein that undergoes proteolytic processing to generate the mature active form that primarily binds to VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3/Flt-4) and, to a lesser extent, VEGFR-2 (KDR) on endothelial cells. Activation of these receptors stimulates intracellular signaling pathways such as MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT, promoting lymphatic endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and formation of lymphatic vessels. In rodents, VEGF-C plays essential roles in lymphatic vessel development, fluid homeostasis, immune cell trafficking, and tissue repair. Because mice, rats, and hamsters are widely used as experimental models for cancer, inflammation, and lymphatic biology, VEGF-C has been extensively studied in models of tumor lymphangiogenesis, metastasis, lymphedema, and tissue regeneration, providing important insights into lymphatic system development and therapeutic targeting of VEGF-C/VEGFR signaling pathways.