Decreased circulating and neutrophil mediated VEGF-A165 release in stable long-term cardiac transplant recipients

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Damien Vitiello Diana Chaar Paul-Eduard Neagoe Anique Ducharme Michel Carrier Guy B Pelletier Normand Racine Mark Liszkowski Martin G Sirois Michel White

Abstract

Background

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may play a role on the allograft remodelling following cardiac transplantation (CTx). We measured the circulating levels of VEGF-A 165concomitantly with the proinflammatory (Interleukin-8; IL-8), anti-inflammatory (IL-1 receptor antagonist; IL-1RA) and their release from neutrophils of CTx recipients.

Methods

Eighteen CTx recipients aged 49.6 ± 3.1 years, being transplanted for 145 ± 20 months were age-matched to 35 healthy control (HC) subjects. Concomitantly to plasma assessment, circulating neutrophils were isolated, purified and stimulated by vehicle (PBS), N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP, 10 −7 M), bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 μg/mL), or tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α, 10 ng/mL).

Results

Compared with HC, CTx recipients exhibited a decrease (−80%) in plasmatic levels of VEGF-A 165(225 ± 42 (HC) vs 44 ± 10 pg/mL (CTx); (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the levels of IL-8 and IL-1RA. Under basal or stimulated conditions, neutrophils from CTx patients exhibited a marked decrease ranging from −30 to −88% on their capacity to release VEGF-A 165, IL-8 and IL-1RA upon stimulation.

Conclusions

Long-term CTx recipients exhibit a marked reduction in the circulating levels of VEGF-A 165, as well as neutrophil-mediated release of VEGF-A 165, IL-1RA and IL-8 compared to healthy volunteers. The mechanisms and physiological impacts of these findings deserve additional investigations.

Article Details

How to Cite
VITIELLO, Damien et al. Decreased circulating and neutrophil mediated VEGF-A165 release in stable long-term cardiac transplant recipients. Vascular Cell, [S.l.], v. 7, n. 1, p. 4, apr. 2015. ISSN 2045-824X. Available at: <https://vascularcell.com/index.php/vc/article/view/10.1186-s13221-015-0029-8>. Date accessed: 14 dec. 2024. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13221-015-0029-8.
Section
Original Research