Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2007 Dec;17(4):354-361.

Association Between Plasma Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Plasmin System Regulators and Recurrent Early Wheeze

• Kim SY
• Kwon SM
• Park HJ
• Kim WT
• Kim JK
• Choi EJ
• Lee KH
• Chung HL
• Kim SG

Abstract

PURPOSE:Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to play an important role in the process of angiogenesis and chronic inflammation. Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) are main regulators of the plasmin system. The functions of these components are shown to be closely associated and recent studies have reported their potential roles in the asthmatic airways. We determined plasma levels of soluble VEGF (sVEGF), PAI-1, tPA and endothelin (ET)-1 in children with recurrent early wheeze. Our purpose was to examine whether there would be any difference in these biomarkers in relation to the relapse rate of wheezing.
METHODS
Fifty-eight children aged 2-6 years who were admitted with acute wheezing were enrolled. They were divided into two groups: patients with more than three relapses of wheezing (group 1, n=34) and those with less than one relapse (group 2, n=24). Plasma levels of sVEGF, PAI-1, ET-1 and tPA on admission were measured using ELISA in the two patient groups and controls (n=16).
RESULTS
PAI-1, sVEGF and tPA significantly increased during acute wheezing episode. The levels of these biomarkers were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (P<0.01). ET-1 showed no significant difference between the patient groups and controls.
CONCLUSION
Our study showed significantly elevated plasma levels of sVEGF and plasmin system regulators in children with recurrent early wheeze, which was even higher in the group with more frequent relapses. Our results suggest that these biomarkers may be associated with airway inflammation and may contribute to the later development of asthma in these children.

Keyword

Vascular endothelial growth factor; Plasmin system; Wheezing

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Biomarkers
Child
Endothelial Growth Factors
Endothelins
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Fibrinolysin*
Humans
Inflammation
Plasma*
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1
Plasminogen Activators
Recurrence
Respiratory Sounds
Tissue Plasminogen Activator
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*
Endothelial Growth Factors
Endothelins
Fibrinolysin
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1
Plasminogen Activators
Tissue Plasminogen Activator
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A