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Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in patients with different degrees of chronic arterial obstructive disease
C Cimminiello1, G Arpaia, M Aloisio
1Fourth Internal Medicine Department, Vascular and Thrombotic Pathology, S. Carlo Borromeo General Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Insights
Patients with chronic arterial obstructive disease (CAOD) show elevated platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) levels, indicating increased platelet activation. Training did not improve physical performance but further increased PDGF levels in CAOD patients.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Biology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Platelet activation and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are implicated in atherosclerosis development.
- Platelets play a critical role in the progression of chronic arterial obstructive disease (CAOD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate plasma levels of PDGF in patients with varying degrees of CAOD.
- To compare PDGF levels between CAOD patients and healthy controls.
- To assess the effect of a training procedure on PDGF levels in CAOD patients.
Main Methods:
- Radioimmunoassay was used to measure plasma PDGF levels.
- Study included patients with Fontaine stage II (intermittent claudication) and Fontaine stage III/IV (severe CAOD) CAOD.
- A control group of healthy subjects was included.
- Patients with Fontaine stage II CAOD underwent a 60-day training program.
Main Results:
- CAOD patients exhibited significantly higher PDGF levels compared to healthy controls (P = 0.04).
- No significant difference in PDGF levels was observed between Fontaine stage II and stage III/IV CAOD patients.
- Following the training period, PDGF levels in stage II patients increased significantly from baseline (403.5 +/- 218.4 to 863.7 +/- 819.6 pg/mL).
- The training procedure did not lead to significant improvements in physical performance.
Conclusions:
- Elevated PDGF levels in CAOD patients likely result from heightened platelet activation due to vascular damage.
- Unlike CAOD, coronary heart disease patients showed normal PDGF levels in venous blood.
- Further research is needed to understand the clinical implications of increased PDGF in CAOD.
Abstract:
Platelet activation and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Evidence has been accumulating that in the evolution of chronic arterial obstructive disease (CAOD) platelets are also crucially important. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to assess plasma levels of PDGF in patients with different degrees of CAOD according to Fontaine. Twenty patients (17 men, 3 women, mean age sixty-eight +/- seven years) with intermittent claudication (Fontaine stage II) entered the study and their PDGF levels were assessed by radioimmunoassay. Ten additional patients (7 men, 3 women, mean age seventy-three +/- seven years) with more severe CAOD (leg pain at rest/skin ulcers) were also studied. Ten healthy subjects (6 men, 4 women, mean age fifty-four +/- six years) comprised the control group. Patients in stage II were reinvestigated after sixty days of a "training" procedure. Patients with both intermittent claudication and more severe disease had higher levels of PDGF than controls (controls 165.9 +/- 119.1 pg/mL; Fontaine stage II 403.5 +/- 218.4; Fontaine stage III/IV 578.1 +/- 637.2: ANOVA P = 0.04) with no difference between the two groups of patients. After the training period, PDGF levels were significantly higher than at baseline (863.7 +/- 819.6 pg/mL vs 403.5 +/- 218.4) but without significant improvement of physical performance. The elevation of PDGF levels in blood from CAOD patients could be the result of marked platelet activation due to interaction with a widely damaged peripheral vasculature. The same was not true for coronary heart disease, in which normal values of PDGF in venous blood were found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)