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- Title
Pulmonary Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Sepsis.
- Authors
Tsokos, Michael; Pufe, Thomas; Paulsen, Friedrich; Anders, Sven; Mentlein, Rolf
- Abstract
Context.--Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an angiogenic and chemotactic peptide, is abundantly expressed in normal lung tissue, especially in alveolar and bronchial epithelium, glandular cells of the bronchi, and activated alveolar macrophages. Objective.--To investigate the role of VEGF in progressively impaired lung function as the major complication and cause of death in septic patients. Materials and Methods.--We evaluated pulmonary VEGF expression in lung autopsy material from septic patients who had been cared for by intensive care medicine using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), reverse transcriptase--polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and immunohistochemical methods. Results.--Compared with expression in nonseptic control individuals (n = 10), pulmonary VEGF expression as determined by ELISA was significantly ( P < .001) decreased in septic patients (n = 8). As monitored by RT-PCR, mRNA for the 2 splice variants, VEGF121 and VEGF165, and for VEGFR-2/KDR were expressed in both groups, the yields being lower in the sepsis group. Samples from septic patients lacked or showed only sparse immunoreaction on bronchial and alveolar epithelium, whereas this reaction was strong in all control samples. However, alveolar macrophages were similarly immunopositive in both groups. Conclusions.--The precise underlying mechanisms for the distinctly different expression of pulmonary VEGF in septic patients and nonseptic control individuals are not clear at present. Particularly the role of VEGF in the development of sepsis-induced lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome in mechanically ventilated patients suffering from severe sepsis remains to be clarified.
- Subjects
GROWTH factors; ENDOTHELIUM; SEPSIS; BLOOD diseases; COMMUNICABLE diseases
- Publication
Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, 2003, Vol 127, Issue 3, p331
- ISSN
0003-9985
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5858/2003-127-0331-peoveg