EVIDENCE FOR BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR AS A CRUCIAL ANGIOGENIC GROWTH-FACTOR, RELEASED FROM HUMAN TROPHOBLASTS DURING EARLY GESTATION

The objective of this study was to clarify the possible angiogenesis-p romoting factors from human trophoblasts in early stage gestation. The existence of angiogenic growth factors such as basic fibroblast growt h factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the c ondition medium from human villous trophoblasts was determined. Biolog ical activity of angiogenic growth factors released by trophoblasts wa s examined using vascular endothelial cell lines. The condition medium from trophoblasts enhanced the growth of endothelial cells. Although cultured trophoblasts exhibited immunoreactive products for both bFGF and VEGF in the cytoplasm, only bFGF was detected in the condition med ium by ELISA. The growth-enhancing activity of the condition medium wa s eliminated completely by the addition of anti-bFGF antibody but not with anti-VEGF antibody. Thus, trophoblastic cells seem to play an imp ortant role in extensive angiogenesis occurring in early gestation, ma inly by releasing bFGF but not VEGF. (C) 1998 W. B. Saunders Company L td.