IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF PLATELET-DERIVED GROWTH-FACTOR AND BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR IN CARDIAC BIOPSY AND AUTOPSY SPECIMENS OF HEART-TRANSPLANT PATIENTS
Re. Shaddy et al., IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF PLATELET-DERIVED GROWTH-FACTOR AND BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR IN CARDIAC BIOPSY AND AUTOPSY SPECIMENS OF HEART-TRANSPLANT PATIENTS, The American journal of cardiology, 77(14), 1996, pp. 1210-1215
The purposes of this study were to examine 250 heart biopsy specimens
and 20 autopsy specimens from heart transplant patients for the presen
ce and localization of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and basic
fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and to correlate these findings with
the histologic features of rejection and the autopsy findings of graft
coronary vasculopathy and global ischemia. Positive specimen staining
was significantly more prevalent for PDGF (78% of specimens) than for
bFGF (54% of specimens) (p < 0.001). PDGF was distributed more in an
interstitial (53%) than a vascular (28%) pattern and was associated wi
th macrophages, whereas bFGF was distributed more in a vascular (50%)
than an interstitial (12%) pattern, The prevalence of PDGF (but not bF
GF) staining was significantly greater in biopsy specimens with at lea
st grade 2 vascular rejection changes (81%) than in those without vasc
ular rejection changes (58%) (p < 0.001). In autopsy specimens, PDGF s
taining was present in the hearts of all 5 patients (100%) who died of
graft failure from coronary vasculopathy and was also present in all
11 hearts (100%) with global ischemic changes, but in only 4 of 9 (44%
) of the hearts without global ischemia (p < 0.01), PDGF staining was
absent in nontransplanted heart specimens, whereas bFGF staining in no
ntransplanted heart specimens was similar to that in transplanted hear
ts, We conclude that PDGF is increased in transplanted hearts, is dist
ributed more in an interstitial pattern, and is associated with macrop
hages. Furthermore, PDGF staining is increased in transplanted hearts
with evidence of vascular rejection, coronary vasculopathy, or global
ischemia.