SERUM LEVELS OF VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH-FACTOR IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION UNDERGOING REPERFUSION THERAPY

1. Vascular endothelial growth factor, a potent angiogenic mitogen, is known to be induced in response to ischaemia as well as being secrete d from tumour cells. However, the precise mechanism of vascular endoth elial growth factor release in acute myocardial infarction and the eff ects of coronary reperfusion on the circulating levels of vascular end othelial growth factor are still unknown. 2. Nineteen patients with ac ute myocardial infarction who underwent early reperfusion therapy were studied. Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor before re perfusion were markedly increased as compared with those in 19 healthy control subjects [252.4 +/- 158.1 pg/ml (mean +/- SD) compared with u ndetectable]. After reperfusion, the serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels rapidly returned almost completely to the normal contro l range. 4. These data strongly suggest that the serum level of vascul ar endothelial growth factor is one of the most sensitive indicators o f myocardial ischaemia.