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Correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor and leptin in children with cyanotic congenital heart disease
Halil Ibrahim Aydin1, Yilmaz Yozgat, Erkan Demirkaya
1Department of Pediatrics, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
In children with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and leptin levels are elevated and positively correlated. These factors may play a role in the development of new blood vessels in cyanotic CHD.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Biochemistry
- Angiogenesis Research
Background:
- Congenital heart disease (CHD) encompasses a range of structural abnormalities present at birth.
- Cyanotic CHD involves reduced oxygen levels in the blood, impacting systemic physiology.
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and leptin are key regulators of angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between serum levels of leptin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in pediatric patients with cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD).
- To explore potential correlations between these factors and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) in children with cyanotic CHD.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples were collected from 18 children with cyanotic CHD and 20 age-matched children with acyanotic CHD.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to quantify serum concentrations of VEGF and leptin.
- Statistical analyses, including correlation coefficients, were used to assess relationships between variables.
Main Results:
- Mean serum VEGF levels were significantly higher in the cyanotic CHD group compared to the acyanotic group (p<0.001).
- Mean serum leptin levels did not differ significantly between the cyanotic and acyanotic groups (p=0.168).
- A significant positive correlation was observed between VEGF and leptin levels in the cyanotic group (r=0.723, p<0.001), but not in the acyanotic group.
- In the cyanotic group, VEGF was negatively correlated with arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) (r=-0.625, p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Both VEGF and leptin are likely involved in the pathogenesis of angiogenesis in cyanotic congenital heart disease.
- The elevated VEGF and its correlation with leptin in cyanotic CHD suggest a role in the altered vascular development characteristic of this condition.
Abstract:
The objective in this study was to determine whether there was any relation between leptin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in children with cyanotic and acyanotic heart anomalies. The study group consisted of 18 children with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) and 20 age-adjusted children with acyanotic CHD as controls. Serum VEGF and leptin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mean VEGF level was 149.25+/-42.93 pg/ml (range 80.66-217.00) in the cyanotic group and 88.18+/-20.94 pg/ml (range 48.44-112.71) in the acyanotic group (p<0.001). The mean leptin level was 7.55+/-1.46 ng/ml (range 4.08-10.25) in the cyanotic group and 6.89+/-1.43 ng/ml (range 2.67-8.57) in the acyanotic group (p=0.168). There was a significant positive correlation (r=0.723, p<0.001) between VEGF and leptin levels in the cyanotic group while there was no correlation (r=0.235, p=0.348) in the acyanotic group. Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was negatively correlated (r=-0.625, p<0.001) with VEGF, but not correlated with leptin (r=-0.207, p=0.211) in the cyanotic group. There was no correlation between VEGF, leptin and SaO2 in the acyanotic group. We conclude that it is likely that both VEGF and leptin have a role in the pathogenesis of angiogenesis in cyanotic CHD.
