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Published on: April 8, 2013
Hepatocyte Growth Factor and 10-Year Change in Left Ventricular Structure: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Richard A Ferraro1, Oluseye Ogunmoroti1, Di Zhao2
1Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Insights
Higher hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels are linked to adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling, specifically increased mass-to-volume ratio and decreased LV end-diastolic volume over 10 years.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomedical research
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a cytokine implicated in heart failure (HF), particularly HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
- Left ventricular (LV) mass and concentric remodeling, indicated by mass-to-volume (M:V) ratios, are recognized imaging risk markers for HFpEF.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between HGF levels and adverse LV remodeling.
- To determine if HGF is a predictor of changes in LV structure over time.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 4907 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort, free of cardiovascular disease at baseline.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) was used to assess LV structure at baseline and after 10 years.
- Multivariable-adjusted linear mixed-effect models were employed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of HGF with LV parameters.
Main Results:
- Higher HGF levels were cross-sectionally associated with increased M:V ratio and decreased LV end-diastolic volume.
- Longitudinal analysis revealed that the highest HGF tertile was associated with a significant increase in M:V ratio and a decrease in LV end-diastolic volume over 10 years.
- These associations remained significant after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide.
Conclusions:
- Elevated HGF levels are independently associated with a pattern of concentric LV remodeling characterized by increasing M:V ratio and decreasing LV end-diastolic volume.
- These findings suggest that HGF may represent an intermediate phenotype linking to the risk of HFpEF.
- The study highlights the potential role of HGF in the pathophysiology of adverse cardiac remodeling.
Background:
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a cytokine linked to incident heart failure (HF), particularly HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Increases in left ventricular (LV) mass and concentric remodelling defined by increasing mass-to-volume (M:V) ratios are imaging risk markers for HFpEF. We aimed to determine if HGF is associated with adverse LV remodelling.
Methods:
We studied 4907 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), free of cardiovascular disease and HF at baseline, who had HGF measured and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) performed at baseline. Of these, 2921 completed a second CMR at 10 years. We examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of HGF and LV structural parameters using multivariable-adjusted linear mixed-effect models, adjusting for cardiovascular disease risk factors and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide.
Results:
The mean (SD) for age was 62 (10) years; 52% were female. Median (interquartile range) for HGF level was 890 pg/mL (745-1070). At baseline, the highest HGF tertile, compared to the lowest, was associated with a greater M:V ratio (relative difference 1.94 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72, 3.17]) and lower LV end-diastolic volume (-2.07 mL [95% CI: -3.72, -0.42)]. In longitudinal analysis, the highest HGF tertile was associated with increasing M:V ratio (10-year difference: 4.68 [95% CI: 2.64, 6.72]) and decreasing LV end-diastolic volume (-4.74 [95% CI: -6.87, -2.62]).
Conclusions:
In a community-based cohort, higher HGF levels were independently associated with a concentric LV remodelling pattern of increasing M:V ratio and decreasing LV end-diastolic volume by CMR over 10 years. These associations may reflect an intermediate phenotype explaining the association of HGF with HFpEF risk.
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