SERUM VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH-FACTOR LEVELS IN VARIOUS LIVER-DISEASES

The clinical significance of circulating vascular endothelial growth f actor (VEGF) in patients with various liver diseases was investigated. Twenty-one patients with acute hepatitis (AH), 40 with chronic hepati tis (CH), 34 with cirrhosis (LC), 16 with fulminant hepatitis (FH), 10 with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), 12 with autoimmune hepatitis (A IH), and 120 healthy individuals were included. Serum VEGF levels were measured by a chemiluminescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Th e mean values of serum VEGF levels in the patients with AH, CH, LC, FH , AIH, PBC, and control were 172.7, 58.0, 44.1, 37.3, 49.7, 74.9, and 65.0 pg/ml, respectively. The patients with AH had a level of serum VE GF significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.001). Th e serum VEGF levels in survivors of FH were significantly increased, b ut not in the nonsurvivors in the recovery phase compared with the lev els on admission (P < 0.05). In the LC patients, serum VEGF levels wer e significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Thes e findings suggest that serum VEGF level may be associated with hepato cyte regeneration grade.