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Pulmonary Vasculature
To determine whether vascular endothelial growth factor contributes to the pulmonary vascular changes in patients with COPD, Santos and coworkers
obtained surgical specimens from 10 patients with severe emphysema, 28 patients with moderate COPD, 21 smokers with normal lung function, and 19 nonsmokers. Immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor was greater in the pulmonary arteries of patients with moderate COPD (77%) and smokers (68%) than in the pulmonary arteries of nonsmokers (53%). Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor was correlated with the thickness of the vessel wall (r = 0.38). Protein content of vascular endothelial growth factor in lung tissue was reduced in severe emphysema, and the proportion of the VEGF189 isoform was lower. The authors conclude that expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in pulmonary arteries varies according to the severity of COPD.
1 Citation displayed.
Enhanced Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Pulmonary Arteries of Smokers and Patients with Moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- Salud Santos, Victor I. Peinado, Josep Ramírez, Jaime Morales-Blanhir, Ricardo Bastos, Josep Roca, Robert Rodriguez-Roisin, and Joan A. Barberà
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 167: 1250 -1256. First published online as doi:10.1164/rccm.200210-1233OC
[Abstract]
[Full text]
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