The expression of serum VEGF and NO in children with congenital heart disease complicated with pulmonary hypertention

Abstract

Objective To explore the roles of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nitric oxide (NO) in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertention (PH) induced by congenital heart disease (CHD) and the relationships between VEGF and NO. Methods Forty-one patients with CHD were divided into two groups,one was control group (n = 16) ,the other was PH group (n =25). Serum VEGF and NO levels were measured with ELISA and spectrophotometry respectively. Results (1) Both the levels of serum VEGF and NO in PH group were significantly higher than those of control group (P ＜0. 01);(2) Both the levels of serum VEGF and NO in PH group were positively correlated with mean pulmonary arterial pressure (r = 0.712,P＜0.01;r = 0.602,P＜0.01) ;(3) Serum VEGF level was positively correlated with that of NO(r=0. 801 ,P＜0.01). Conclusion VEGF and NO play protective roles during the development of PH in children with CHD. VEGF is involved in the vascular remodeling mediated by NO. Key words: Vascular endothelial growth factor; Pulmonary hypertention; Congenital heart disease; Nitric oxide