Marked elevation of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor in pericardial fluid of patients with angina pectoris

Although we reported that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) levels in pericardial fluid of patients with unstable angina are apparently increased, it was unclear whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is also increased in patients with myocardial ischemia. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we measured the concentrations of VEGF and bFGF in pericardial fluid of 51 patients with open heart surgery. Patients were divided into group A (n=10) with class III unstable angina (Braunwald's classification), group B (n=24) with class I or II unstable angina or stable angina and group C (n=17) with non-ischemic heart disease. The VEGF level in pericardial fluid in group A was 83±7 pg/ml, being significantly (p<0.001) higher than the 27±3 pg/ml in group B and the 28±5 pg/ml in group C. The concentrations of bFGF in pericardial fluid in groups A and B were 1461±579 and 1224±161 pg/ml, respectively, significantly (p<0.05) higher than the 292±97 pg/ml in group C. The level of VEGF in pericardial fluid was increased only in patients with severe rest angina within 2 days before emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), while bFGF was increased in all patients undergoing CABG for coronary artery disease. Thus VEGF and bFGF may play important roles in mediating collateral growth in humans.     

Synergistic effect of basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in murine hepatocellular carcinoma

The growth of any solid tumor depends on angiogenesis. Among the known angiogenic factors, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), are potent and representative factors involved in tumor development. It has been reported that bFGF and VEGF showed a synergistic effect in both in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis. However, the interaction of these factors on tumor development and angiogenesis, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we examined the combined effect of bFGF and VEGF overexpression by means of a combination of a retroviral tetracycline (tet)-regulated (Retro-Tet) gene expression system, which can manipulate the gene expression in vivo by providing tet in the drinking water, and a conventional plasmid gene expression system. In an allograft study, bFGF and VEGF overexpression synergistically increased tumor growth and angiogenesis in the murine HCC cells. This synergistic effect also was found in established tumors. VEGF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the tumor was increased 3.1-fold by bFGF-overexpression, and the bFGF-induced tumor development was significantly attenuated by treatment with KDR/Flk-1 neutralizing monoclonal antibody. In conclusion, these results suggest that bFGF synergistically augments VEGF-mediated HCC development and angiogenesis at least partly by induction of VEGF through KDR/Flk-1.     

胃癌组织与血清中VEGF和bFGF的表达意义

目的：研究胃癌患者血清和组织中VEGF,bFGF的表达与胃癌临床特征之间的关系,研究二者的相关性及组织和血清之间的相关性,探讨VEGF,bFGF在胃癌的发生、发展、侵袭和转移中的作用方法：应用酶联免疫技术(ABC-ELISA方法)检测73例胃癌患者术前血清和20例健康体检者血清中的VEGF,bFGF的表达水平,同时应用免疫组织化学染色方法检测癌组织和癌旁组织中VEGF,bFGF的表达．结果：胃癌患者术前血清VEGF,bFGF表达水平均明显高于健康体检者(YEGF：101．8±53．3 ng/L vs 16．1±22．5ng/L,P＜0．05；bFGF：152．9±42．7ng/L vs 25．0±11．4ng/L,P＜0．05)．胃癌患者术前血清VEGF,bFGF的表达水平均随胃癌的浸润深度、TNM分期、淋巴结转移、远处转移而增高(P＜0．05),而与年龄、性别及病理类型无关．胃癌组织VEGF的阳性表达率为71．2%,癌旁组织中VEGF均未见阳性表达,二者之间有显著性差异(X~2=32．1,P＜0．05)；胃癌组织中bFGF的阳性表达率为63．0%、癌旁组织中bFGF阳性表达率为(10%),二者之间亦有显著性差异(X~2=17．7,P＜0．05)．胃癌患者组织VEGF,bFGF的表达水平均与胃癌的浸润深度、TNM分期、淋巴结转移、远处转移有关(P＜0．05),而与年龄、性别及病理类型无关．胃癌患者血清VEGF的表达水平与血清bFGF的表达水平呈明显正相关(r=0．439,P＜0．01),胃癌患者组织VEGF的表达水平与组织bFGF的表达水平呈明显正相关(r=0．391,P＜0．01)；胃癌患者术前血清VEGF的表达水平与组织VEGF的表达呈正相关(r=0．346,P＜0．01),术前血清bFGF的表达水平与组织bFGF的表达呈正相关(r=0．304,P＜0．01),均有显著性差异．结论：VEGF,bFGF在胃癌的发生、发展、转移及预后起着重要的作用,有望成为胃癌术前诊断、术后随访、复发转移监测、评价抗血管生成药物疗效和化疗效果判定的新的肿瘤标志物．     

Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor,basic fibroblast growth factor and endostatin in human metastatic liver tumors

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Angiogenic factors are related to the malignant potential of tumors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of serum angiogenic factors to liver metastasis. METHODOLOGY: The serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor and endostatin were measured using EIA in 25 patients with metastatic liver tumors and were compared with those of 12 cancer patients without metastasis and 15 controls. RESULTS: The serum vascular endothelial growth factor concentration was significantly higher in the liver metastasis group (503 +/- 84 pg/mL) than in the no metastasis group (205 +/- 38 pg/mL) and the control group (201 +/- 26 pg/mL). The three groups had similar serum basic fibroblast growth factor concentrations. There was no significant difference in serum levels of endostatin among the liver metastasis group (18.8 +/- 1.5 ng/mL), the no metastasis group (23.9 +/- 4.9 ng/mL), and the control group (17.1 +/- 1.5 ng/mL). CONCLUSIONS: Angiogenic response is more prominent than anti-angiogenic responses in liver metastasis. These findings support the rationale for anti-angiogenesis therapy such as endostatin therapy in patients with liver metastasis.     

Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor in patients with soft-tissue sarcoma

Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) have been suggested to be important mediators for tumor-induced angiogenesis. We measured serum VEGF and bFGF levels from patients with soft-tissue sarcomas and correlated serum VEGF and bFGF levels with tumor status at surgery and histological grading. Materials and methods: A group of 18 healthy controls and 85 patients with soft-tissue sarcoma were enrolled in this study. The patients were classified according to tumor status at surgery. Serum levels of VEGF and bFGF were also correlated with histological grading. VEGF and bFGF levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Quantikine R&D Systems). Results: Serum VEGF and bFGF levels were significantly elevated in the patient group (VEGF: 580pg/ml, bFbF: 21pg/ml, P = 0.0001). The highest concentrations of serum VEGF and bFGF were found in patients with macroscopic tumor lesions or G3 histology. Serum VEGF levels showed a statistically significant correlation with tumor status and grading (P = 0.006 for tumor status, P = 0.0001 for grading). Conclusions: This study reveals that elevated preoperative serum VEGF and bFGF levels can be detected in the majority of patients with soft-tissue sarcoma. The significant correlation with tumor mass and histological grading suggests that a consecutive monitoring of VEGF and bFGF in the serum of patients with soft-tissue sarcoma might be a valuable marker for tumor follow-up. Received: 26 April 1999 / Accepted: 17 May 1999     

非霍奇金淋巴瘤患者sVEGF和sbFGF水平的变化及临床意义

目的:研究非霍奇金淋巴瘤(NHL)患者血清血管内皮生长因子(sVEGF)及血清碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(sbFGF)水平与临床特征的关系,探索其临床意义.方法:ELISA法检测36例不同病期NHL患者sVEGF、sbFGF水平,并收集临床资料,进行统计分析.结果:NHL患者sVEGF、sbFGF水平明显高于对照组(均P＜...     

Acidosis inhibits endothelial cell apoptosis and function and induces basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor expression

Endothelial cells are exposed to an acidotic environment in a variety of pathological and physiological conditions. However, the effect of acidosis on endothelial cell function is still largely unknown, and it was evaluated in the present study. Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were grown in bicarbonate buffer equilibrated either with 20% CO(2) (pH 7.0, acidosis) or 5% CO(2) (pH 7.4, control). Acidosis inhibited BAEC proliferation in 10% FCS, whereas by day 7 in serum-free medium, cell number was 3-fold higher in acidotic cells than in control cells. Serum deprivation enhanced BAEC apoptosis, and apoptotic cell death was markedly inhibited by acidosis. Additionally, acidosis inhibited FCS-stimulated migration in a modified Boyden chamber assay and FCS-stimulated differentiation into capillary-like structures on reconstituted basement membrane proteins. Conditioned media from BAECs cultured for 48 hours either at pH 7.0 or pH 7.4 enhanced BAEC proliferation and migration at pH 7.4, and both effects were more marked with conditioned medium from BAECs grown in acidotic than in control conditions. Acidosis enhanced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) mRNA expression as well as bFGF secretion, and a blocking bFGF antibody inhibited enhanced BAEC migration in response to conditioned medium from acidotic cells. These results show that acidosis protects endothelial cells from apoptosis and inhibits their proangiogenic behavior despite enhanced VEGF and bFGF mRNA expression and bFGF secretion.     

雾化吸入碱性成纤维细胞生长因子对血管性痴呆患者血管内皮生长因子的影响

目的:研究雾化吸入碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(b-FGF)对血管性痴呆患者血清血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)的影响。方法:采用临床痴呆评定量表(CDR)筛选出轻度血管性痴呆(VD)患者60例,分成轻度VD治疗组34例,轻度VD对照组26例,另设正常对照组30例,VD对照组患者常规抗动脉硬化、抗血小板聚集及抗痴呆治疗,VD治疗组在其对照组常规治疗基础上给予b FGF 4800 AU/d加入生理盐水10 m L氧气雾化吸入,每次10 min,1次/d,连续14 d。比较2组VD患者治疗前、治疗后14、30 d血清VEGF的表达。结果:2组VD患者治疗前血清VEGF水平明显低于正常对照组,VD治疗组患者治疗后14、30 d血清VEGF水平逐渐升高,与VD对照组比较有统计学意义(P0.01)。结论:b FGF通过鼻黏膜进入中枢神经系统,促进VD患者血清VEGF的表达。     

Conduction performance of collateral vessels induced by vascular endothelial growth factor or basic fibroblast growth factor

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we delivered vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene to a rabbit model of hind limb ischemia utilizing an ex vivo method of gene transfer, and evaluated the functional performance of the developed collateral vessels. METHOD: The left femoral artery of a male Japanese White rabbit was excised to induce limb ischemia, and a section of skin was resected for culture of auto-fibroblasts. Twenty days later, the VEGF gene, bFGF gene or beta-galactosidase gene (LacZ) was adenovirally transferred to the cultured auto-fibroblasts (5x10(6) cells), and the next day, a pair of specifically infected fibroblasts (total 1x10(7) cells) was injected via the left internal iliac artery of the same rabbit. Pairs of transferred genes into the fibroblasts were as follows: LacZ/LacZ (control group), VEGF/LacZ (VEGF group), bFGF/LacZ (FGF group) and VEGF/bFGF (combination group). Twenty-eight days after cell administration, collateral development and its function were evaluated. RESULTS: Calf blood pressure ratio, resting blood flow of the left iliac artery and capillary density of ischemic muscle showed similar degrees of angiogenic effects in the VEGF and FGF groups, which were significantly greater than those in the control group. On the contrary, angiographic score, collateral conductance and smooth muscle cell (SMC)-positive vessel density in the FGF group were significantly greater than those in the VEGF group. In the combination group, collateral conductance showed synergistic effects, and in vivo blood flow and smooth muscle cell-positive vessel density revealed additive effects of VEGF and bFGF. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that bFGF-induced collateral development exceeded VEGF-induced collateral development in the induction of arteriogenesis, and that combined gene delivery of VEGF and bFGF produced additive or synergistic effects of collateral development as compared with the effects induced by transfer of each gene alone.     

Impact of laparotomy and liver resection on the peritoneal concentrations of fibroblast growth factor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor

Purpose: Some data have suggested that major surgery is associated with the post-operative growth of residual tumour masses but the mechanism of this is unknown. This study was designed to determine the relationship between intraperitoneal (IP) cytokine levels, and laparotomy in benign and malignant settings. Methods: Intraperitoneal fluid specimens were obtained at the start and at the end of laparotomy in patients with benign conditions (n=10) and in others undergoing resection of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer (n=10). Using ELISA the concentration of the angiogenic cytokines, HGF, VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D and FGF-2 was determined. Results: The data show that in 16 of 20 patients there was a significant increase (P=0.006) in the IP concentration of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) but not in the other growth factors by the end of the operation. The mean increase in HGF concentration was 821.5 pg/ml (95% CI: 11.0–6,426.0). Neither the groups (malignant and non-malignant) nor the length of operation correlated with greater or lesser increases in HGF. Conclusion: The observation that the increase in HGF occurred in both the cancer and non-cancer groups suggests that it is the surgery rather than the disease that is associated with the increased cytokine concentration. As HGF is a potent endothelial, epithelial and mesenchymal mitogen the data highlight HGF as a potential target for anti-cancer treatments in the peri-operative period. However, investigators should closely monitor wound healing as this may be compromised by this new class of drugs.     

Elevated circulating levels of basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have both shown strong angiogenetic effects in ischemic animal models and it has been reported that these growth factors were increased after acute myocardial ischemia. However, there have been few reports on the serum levels of bFGF and VEGF after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), in particular there has not been a comparative study of bFGF and VEGF in human subjects. The time course of circulating levels of bFGF and VEGF was examined in 36 patients with AMI who were within 24h of the onset of the AMI. The serum bFGF and VEGF levels of 50 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers served as the baseline value. All the patients had undergone coronary angiography on the day of admission (Day 0), but prior to that the serum bFGF and VEGF levels were examined by enzyme-linked immunoassay. The serum bFGF and VEGF levels were also evaluated on Days 7, 14 and 28. Creatine kinase, myosin light chain I and troponin-T were measured subsequently and radionuclide examinations were performed during the early phase of AMI to determine the infarct size. The serum bFGF levels were significantly increased at Day 0 and were maintained until Days 7 and 14. Although serum VEGF levels at Day 0 were similar to the baseline values, they showed a remarkable increase by Days 7 and 14. A high serum level of bFGF was detected in the acute phase of AMI, and a later increase in VEGF was determined in the sub-acute phase, which suggest that these 2 growth factors play an important role at different time points of the reconstructing process of infarcted myocardial tissue.     

Spider angiomas in patients with liver cirrhosis： Role of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor

AIM: To investigate whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblastic growth factor (bFGF) are associated with spider angiomas in patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS: Eighty-six patients with liver cirrhosis were enrolled and the number and size of the spider angiomas were recorded. Fifty-three healthy subjects were selected as controls. Plasma levels of VEGF and bFGF were measured in both the cirrhotics and the controls. RESULTS: Plasma VEGF and bFGF were increased in cirrhotics compared with controls (122 +/- 13 vs. 71 +/- 11 pg/mL, P=0.003 for VEGF; 5.1 +/- 0.5 vs. 3.4 +/- 0.5 pg/mL, P=0.022 for bFGF). In cirrhotics, plasma VEGF and bFGF were also higher in patients with spider angiomas compared with patients without spider angiomas (185 +/- 28 vs. 90 +/- 10 pg/mL, P=0.003 for VEGF; 6.8 +/- 1.0 vs. 4.1 +/- 0.5 pg/mL, P=0.017 for bFGF). Multivariate logistic regression showed that young age and increased plasma levels of VEGF and bFGF were the most significant predictors for the presence of spider angiomas in cirrhotic patients (odds ratio [OR]=6.64, 95 % confidence interval [CI]=2.02-21.79, P=0.002; OR=4.35, 95% CI=1.35-14.01, P=0.014; OR=5.66, 95% CI=1.72-18.63, P=0.004, respectively). CONCLUSION: Plasma VEGF and bFGF are elevated in patients with liver cirrhosis. Age as well as plasma levels of VEGF and bFGF are significant predictors for spider angiomas in cirrhotic patients.     

Serum levels of the angiogenic cytokines basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in multiple myeloma

Angiogenesis is a crucial process in growth and progression of cancer and there is growing evidence that neovascularisation is important in hematological malignancies. Since an increased angiogenic potential has been identified in multiple myeloma, we simultaneously measured circulating serum levels of the cytokines bFGF, VEGF, HGF and IL-6 by ELISA in 67 patients with multiple myeloma or monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance (MGUS) and in 20 controls. Median values of bFGF were 4.7 pg/ml in healthy volunteers, 6.2 in MGUS, 6.3 in myeloma stage I, 13.4 in stage II and 21.7 in stage III. Myeloma patients had significantly higher bFGF serum levels than controls (p<0.001). Pretreatment bFGF levels differed significantly in the Salmon and Durie stages I-III (p=0.02) and were significantly elevated in stage II-III compared to stage I myeloma (p=0.02). In patients responding to chemotherapy according to the CLMTF criteria, a significant decrease in serum bFGF, VEGF and HGF levels occurred (median pretreatment values for bFGF 23.9 pg/ml, post-treatment 6.5 pg/ml; p<0.001, for VEGF 223 pg/ml versus 105 pg/ml; p=0.02 and for HGF 1429 pg/ml versus 1077 pg/ml; p=0.02, respectively). In 11 patients who did not achieve a remission, there was no significant decrease in bFGF, VEGF and HGF levels. These data show that myeloma in stages II and III is associated with an increase in serum bFGF concentrations and give the first report that effective chemo-therapy is accompanied by a significant decrease in the angiogenic factors bFGF, VEGF and HGF, while no decrease of these factors could be found in nonresponders.     

急性心肌梗死后血管内皮细胞生长因子及碱性成纤维细胞生长因子表达动态变化

目的　以急性心肌梗死大鼠为模型,观察血管内皮细胞生长因子(VEGF)和碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF)在心肌中的表达,探讨急性缺血缺氧刺激下VEGF和bFGF表达变化与新生血管形成的关系及意义。方法　建立Wistar大鼠急性心肌梗死模型,分为对照组和急性心肌梗死组( 3d ,7d ,1 4d ,2 8d ,4 2d ,56d)。免疫组化检测心肌细胞和内皮细胞中VEGF和bFGF的表达,Ⅷ因子相关抗原标记内皮细胞,检测新生毛细血管密度。结果　实验组心肌梗死后VEGF和bFGF产生量迅速增加,梗死区VEGF和bFGF的表达在梗死后第7天达高峰,2 8天开始下降,4 2天和56天时表达明显下降,新生毛细血管密度与两者产生量成正相关,与对照组比较差异有统计学意义。结论　在心肌梗死急性缺血期心肌细胞和内皮细胞能通过自身分泌VEGF和bFGF协同刺激血管内皮细胞增殖,促进血管形成,从而改善缺血心肌的血液供应。二者的表达在梗死后第7天达到最高峰,第2 8天时开始下降,为选择在表达消退期应用外源性VEGF和bFGF进行基因治疗提供了实验依据。     

Involvement of SAPK/JNK in basic fibroblast growth factor-induced vascular endothelial growth factor release in osteoblasts

We previously reported that basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) activates p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase resulting in the stimulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells and that FGF-2-activated p38 MAP kinase negatively regulates VEGF release. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) in FGF-2-induced VEGF release in these cells. FGF-2 markedly induced the phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK. SP600125, an inhibitor of SAPK/JNK, markedly reduced the FGF-2-induced VEGF release. SP600125 suppressed the FGF-2-induced phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK without affecting the phosphorylation of p44/p42 MAP kinase or p38 MAP kinase induced by FGF-2. PD98059, an inhibitor of upstream kinase of p44/p42 MAP kinase, or SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 MAP kinase, failed to affect the FGF-2-induced phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK. A combination of SP600125 and SB203580 suppressed the FGF-2-stimulated VEGF release in an additive manner. These results strongly suggest that FGF-2 activates SAPK/JNK in osteoblasts, and that SAPK/JNK plays a part in FGF-2-induced VEGF release.     

Tetraiodothyroacetic acid, a small molecule integrin ligand, blocks angiogenesis induced by vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor

Thyroid hormone has been recently shown to induce tumor growth and angiogenesis via a plasma-membrane hormone receptor on integrin alphaVbeta3. The receptor is at or near the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) recognition site on the integrin that is important to extracellular matrix (ECM) protein and vascular growth factor interactions with the integrin. In the present study, we examined the possibility that tetraiodothyroacetic acid (tetrac), a deaminated, non-agonist thyroid hormone analog that binds to the integrin receptor, may modulate vascular growth factor-induced angiogenesis in the absence of thyroid hormone. Angiogenesis models were studied in which VEGF or FGF2 (1-2 microg/ml) induced tube formation in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC), stimulated new blood vessel branch formation in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and induced angiogenesis in the mouse matrigel model. In all models, tetrac (1-10 microM) and at 10 microg in mouse matrigel inhibited the pro-angiogenesis activity of VEGF and FGF2 by more than 50%. RT-PCR revealed that tetrac (1-3 microM) decreased abundance of angiopoietin-2 mRNA, but not angiopoietin-1 mRNA, in VEGF-exposed endothelial cells, suggesting that specific angiogenic pathways are targeted by tetrac. Tetrac is a novel, inexpensive small molecule whose anti-angiogenic activity in the present studies is proposed to reflect inhibition, via the integrin RGD recognition/thyroid hormone receptor site, of crosstalk between plasma-membrane vascular growth factor receptors and integrin alphaVbeta3.