Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
Histological Quantification of Chronic Myocardial Infarct in Rats
Published on: December 11, 2016
Relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor and left ventricular dimension in patients with acute
Hiroto Shimokawahara1, Michihisa Jougasaki1, Manabu Setoguchi1
1Institute for Clinical Research and Division of Cardiology, National Hospital Organization Kagoshima Medical Center, Kagoshima, Japan.
Insights
Elevated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients correlates with larger left ventricular dimensions in the subacute phase. This suggests VEGF plays a key role in early cardiac remodeling after AMI.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) levels are elevated in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients, but its clinical significance is not fully understood.
- The relationship between VEGF and left ventricular (LV) dimensions following AMI requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between plasma VEGF levels and left ventricular dimensions in patients with AMI.
- To determine the temporal relationship between VEGF elevation and cardiac remodeling post-AMI.
Main Methods:
- Plasma VEGF levels were measured daily for one week, then weekly for four weeks in 38 AMI patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
- Left ventriculography was performed at 14 days, 6 months, and 2 years post-AMI onset.
Main Results:
- Plasma VEGF levels peaked around day 6 post-AMI and were significantly elevated.
- Peak plasma VEGF levels showed a positive correlation with end-diastolic and end-systolic volume indices at 14 days post-AMI.
- Patients with high admission VEGF levels exhibited larger LV volume indices in the subacute phase (14 days) compared to those with low VEGF levels, with this difference diminishing in the chronic phase.
Conclusions:
- Increased plasma VEGF levels in AMI patients are associated with left ventricular volume indices during the subacute phase.
- Endogenous VEGF appears to play a significant role in modulating left ventricular dimensions in the early stages following acute myocardial infarction.
Background:
Although vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is elevated in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the clinical significance of its elevation remains unclear. The present study was designed to determine the relationship between VEGF and left ventricular dimension in patients with AMI.
Methods And Results:
Plasma VEGF levels were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay daily for one week and then weekly for four weeks in 38 patients with AMI (65.4 ± 1.7 years). Left ventriculography was performed at 14 days, 6 months, and 2 years after the onset of AMI. Plasma VEGF levels were significantly elevated and reached a peak on day 6. Peak plasma VEGF levels positively correlated with both end-diastolic and end-systolic volume indices at 14 days after the onset of AMI. When patients with AMI were divided into two groups according to plasma VEGF levels on admission, left ventricular volume indices were higher in the high VEGF group than in the low VEGF group at the subacute phase of AMI (14 days). These differences were no longer present in the chronic phase of AMI.
Conclusion:
Plasma VEGF levels were increased in patients with AMI, and peak levels were associated with left ventricular volume indices in the subacute phase, suggesting an important role of endogenous VEGF in the left ventricular dimension in patients with AMI.
