ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to investigate the status of bone marrow angiogenesis in aplastic anemia (AA). Bone marrow specimens from 32 patients with AA and 16 normal controls were studied. The number of bone marrow microvessels was examined by means of immunohistochemical staining for CD34. Determination of microvessel density (MVD) and angiogenesis grading were done in a blinded manner. The results showed that the bone marrow MVD in patients with AA was significantly lower than that in healthy subjects (P < 0.01). MVD in patients with severe and moderate AA was lower than that in control group, respectively (P < 0. 01). There is significant MVD difference between severe AA and moderate AA (P < 0.05). Angiogenesis grade and MVD in AA were positively correlated (r = 0.64, P < 0.01). It is concluded that bone marrow angiogenesis in AA patients is lower than that in normal controls. Defect of angiogenesis in bone marrow may play a role resulting in or aggravating hematopoietic aplasia in patients with AA.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Anemia, Aplastic , Pathology , Bone Marrow , Pathology , Hematopoiesis , Physiology , Microcirculation , Pathology , Neovascularization, Physiologic , Physiology , Receptors, Complement 3bABSTRACT
This study was aimed to investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with aplastic anemia. The gene expressions of VEGF in mononuclear cells of bone marrow from 7 cases of aplastic anemia and 12 normal controls were detected by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expressions of VEGF in bone marrow from 20 cases of aplastic anemia and 20 normal controls were also determined by immunohistochemistry assay. The results showed that expression of VEGF mRNA was found in 2 out of 7 (28.57%) bone marrow of patients and in 10 out of 12 (83.33%) bone marrow of normal controls. The VEGF mRNA in patients with aplastic anemia was significantly lower than that in normal controls (P < 0.05). No patients with aplastic anemia showed immunohistochemical staining of VEGF in bone marrow, while 5 out of 20 (25%) normal controls exhibited VEGF positive cells. Bone marrow of aplastic anemia patients contained less VEGF than that of normal persons (P < 0.05). In conclusion, when compared with normal controls, VEGF expression decreased significantly in patients with aplastic anemia at gene transcription level and protein translation level, it may be related to the defect of angiogenesis and thus hematopoiesis in bone marrow of patients with aplastic anemia.