Alteration and significance of vascular endothelial growth factor in the serum of patients with glomerular diseases / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the concentration alteration of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with primary and secondary glomerular diseases (GD), the effect of immune inhibitors on the concentration, and analyze the relationship between VEGF concentration and some clinical indexes. Methods Serum VEGF concentration of GD patients was determined by sandwich ABC-ELISA. Results All of the GD patients had higher level of serum VEGF than the control group. Of the 5 groups divided according to the clinical classification, patients of chronic glomerulonephritis(CGN) group, latent glomerulonephritis(LGN) group, Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis(HSPN) group and lupus nephritis(LN) group had higher serum VEGF level than the control group, respectively, with no difference among the above groups. The patients without taking immune inhibitors had higher serum VEGF level than the control group,while no difference was observed between the patients taking immune inhibitors and the control group.Patients with glomerulonephritis had a significantly lower serum VEGF level after receiving immunosuppression aggressive therapy than before. The serum VEGF level of nephrotic syndrome in nephrotic phase was higher than in remission stage. In membranous glomerulonephritis serum VEGF correlated positively with 24-hour proteinuria excretion. The serum VEGF level correlated positively with anti-dsDNA Ab titer and the concentration of ? globulins in LN. Conclusion Cytokine VEGF is involved in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis, and in the occurrence and progression of proteinuria. Immunosuppression therapy can inhibit the expression of VEGF. In LN patients, the serum VEGF level is related to LN activity.