Abstract 16819: Circulating Growth Factors and Cardiac Remodeling in the Community: The Framingham Heart Study

Abstract

Cardiac and vascular growth factors may influence myocardial and vascular remodeling through their pro- and anti-angiogenic effects. We hypothesized that higher circulating concentrations of growth factors will be associated with cardiac remodeling patterns consistent with their known biological effects. We related circulating concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF-1, angiopoietin 2 (Ang2), Hepatocyte GF (HGF), insulin-like GF (IGF)-1, IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3, growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), to echocardiographic (echo) indices of cardiac remodeling in 3151 Framingham Study participants (mean age 40 years, 55% women). We evaluated the following echo measures (dependent variables): left ventricular (LV) mass index (LVMi), LV ejection fraction (LVEF), global longitudinal strain (GLS), left atrial ejection fraction (LAEF), and aortic root diameter (AoR) using generalized linear models to account for relatedness. We also related circulating NTProBNP and Troponin (TnI) to echo measures (as positive controls). In multivariable-adjusted analyses blood GDF-15 levels were associated with higher values of LVMi. TnI concentrations were negatively associated with LVEF. IGF-1 and Ang2 concentrations were positively and negatively associated with GLS, respectively. Lower IGFBP-3 concentrations and higher NT-ProBNP concentrations were associated with lower LAEF. Higher VEGF-1, Ang2 and NT-Pro-BNP levels were associated with smaller AoR (Figure). In our large community-based cross-sectional study, we observed patterns of associations between several circulating vascular growth factors and cardiac remodeling indices that are consistent with the known biological effects of these pro- and anti-angiogenic factors on the myocardium and conduit arteries. Additional findings are warranted to replicate our findings and assess their prognostic significance