Thielemann Anna, Baszczuk Aleksandra, Kopczyński Zygmunt, Kopczyński Przemysław, Grodecka-Gazdecka Sylwia
Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2013;20(2):293-7.
The biological activity of VEGF depends on the presence of its specific receptors on the endothelial surface: VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and on their soluble forms sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2. The binding of the membrane-bound receptors with VEGF affects the permeability, proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells. This creates the necessary conditions for the vascularisation of solid tumours and for the spread of remote metastases. The sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 receptors are believed to be natural inhibitors of VEGF.
To determine the clinical usefulness of VEGF and the sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 receptors level assay in women with primary breast cancer. The assessment also took into account: patient's age, stage of the disease, histological grade, status of the axillary lymph nodes and size of the primary tumour.
The concentrations of VEGF, sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 were ascertained in 103 women with primary breast cancer. The concentrations of VEGF in the plasma, and those of the soluble receptors sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 in the serum, were assessed by ELISA, R&D Systems.
The study found significantly raised concentrations of VEGF, sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 in the serum of women with breast cancer, relative to the values obtained from the control group. It was found that with increasing clinical stages of the disease, the levels of VEGF and concentrations of sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 also increased. Similar findings were noted when assessing the degree of the histological grade of the tumours. Significantly higher values of VEGF protein and the assessed receptors were obtained from women with metastases to the axillary lymph nodes. A positive relationship, though without statistical significance, was noted between the concentration of sVEGFR-2 and the size of the tumour.
The high concentrations of the VEGF cytokine and the sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 receptors in women with breast cancer are responsible for giving rise to the processes of tumour angiogenesis. The concentrations of the VEGF protein and the soluble forms of the receptors sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 in the serum of breast cancer patients showed positive correlations with the clinical stage of the disease. These results point to the usefulness of VEGF assessment and its soluble receptors in the clinical evaluation of patients with breast cancer.
血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）的生物活性取决于其在内皮表面的特异性受体的存在：血管内皮生长因子受体-1（VEGFR-1）、血管内皮生长因子受体-2（VEGFR-2），以及它们的可溶性形式可溶性血管内皮生长因子受体-1（sVEGFR-1）和可溶性血管内皮生长因子受体-2（sVEGFR-2）。膜结合受体与VEGF的结合会影响血管内皮细胞的通透性、增殖和迁移。这为实体肿瘤的血管生成以及远处转移的扩散创造了必要条件。sVEGFR-1和sVEGFR-2受体被认为是VEGF的天然抑制剂。
确定VEGF以及sVEGFR-1和sVEGFR-2受体水平检测在原发性乳腺癌女性患者中的临床应用价值。评估还考虑了：患者年龄、疾病分期、组织学分级、腋窝淋巴结状态以及原发肿瘤大小。
测定了103例原发性乳腺癌女性患者的VEGF、sVEGFR-1和sVEGFR-2的浓度。采用美国R&D Systems公司的酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）法评估血浆中VEGF的浓度以及血清中可溶性受体sVEGFR-1和sVEGFR-2的浓度。
研究发现，与对照组的值相比，乳腺癌女性患者血清中VEGF、sVEGFR-1和sVEGFR-2的浓度显著升高。发现随着疾病临床分期的增加，VEGF水平以及sVEGFR-1和sVEGFR-2的浓度也升高。在评估肿瘤组织学分级程度时也有类似发现。腋窝淋巴结转移的女性患者的VEGF蛋白及所评估的受体的值显著更高。虽然无统计学意义，但sVEGFR-2的浓度与肿瘤大小之间存在正相关关系。
乳腺癌女性患者中VEGF细胞因子以及sVEGFR-1和sVEGFR-2受体的高浓度导致了肿瘤血管生成过程。乳腺癌患者血清中VEGF蛋白以及受体的可溶性形式sVEGFR-1和sVEGFR-2的浓度与疾病临床分期呈正相关。这些结果表明VEGF及其可溶性受体评估在乳腺癌患者临床评估中的有用性。
