Sputum VEGF level increases with treatment of COPD acute exacerbation

Abstract

Introduction: The role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in COPD pathogenesis has been studied widely; however the change in blood and airway VEGF levels during the treatment of an acute exacerbation has not been investigated. In this study we aimed to evaluate the changes in plasma and sputum VEGF levels during COPD exacerbation. Methods: 14 subjects (64±10 years) with established COPD participated in the study. Spontaneous sputa and EDTA-plasma samples were collected for VEGF measurement at admission to hospital due to an acute exacerbation of COPD (Anthonisen type I-II) and also at discharge from hospital. During hospitalization (8±1 days) patients were treated with systemic corticosteroids (n=12) and/or with antibiotics (n=7). VEGF concentration was measured by ELISA. Data are shown as mean±SD and analyzed with parametric tests. Results: Sputum VEGF levels positively correlated with FEV1 percent predicted (r=0.61, p=0.02) and FEV1/FVC (r=0.55, p=0.04) at baseline, while no relationship was observed between plasma VEGF level and clinical parameters. There was no correlation between sputum and plasma VEGF concentrations (p=0.65). Sputum level of VEGF increased significantly (6670±6252 pg/ml vs. 9735±6909 pg/ml, before vs. after treatment, p=0.04) following treatment, while there was no change in plasma VEGF levels (179±98 pg/ml vs. 173±93 pg/ml, before vs. after treatment p=0.73). Conclusion: Recovery from COPD exacerbation might be associated with increased airway VEGF level. Analysis of sputum but not plasma may reflect the changes in VEGF levels in COPD patients during exacerbation. The study was supported by National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA 68808) and Hungarian Respiratory Society grants.