From the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan.
From the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan.
Chest. 2014 Nov;146(5):1159-1165. doi: 10.1378/chest.14-0373.
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are involved in the pathogenesis of various lung diseases. This study was designed to determine the possible interactions of these growth factors in the development of COPD.
We measured the levels of HGF and VEGF in epithelial lining fluid obtained from central or peripheral airways using a bronchoscopic microsampling technique in 10 never smokers, 14 smokers without COPD, and 24 smokers with COPD. We also evaluated whether their levels were correlated with pulmonary function parameters and the grade of low attenuation area (LAA) observed in high-resolution CT scans.
HGF and VEGF levels in the peripheral airways of smokers with COPD were significantly lower than those in never smokers and smokers without COPD. In smokers with COPD, HGF and VEGF levels of the peripheral airways inversely correlated with the degree of airway obstruction and diffusing capacity of the lung. The HGF and VEGF levels also correlated with the grade of LAA. Although the VEGF levels of smokers with and without COPD overlapped considerably, HGF levels were markedly higher in smokers without COPD.
Upregulated HGF probably compensated for the reduced levels of VEGF and preserved the pulmonary function in smokers without COPD. By contrast, both HGF and VEGF levels were decreased in smokers with COPD, which likely led to the development of COPD. Thus, the level of HGF relative to that of VEGF may be a reliable indicator of the risk for COPD.
肝细胞生长因子（HGF）和血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）参与多种肺部疾病的发病机制。本研究旨在确定这些生长因子在 COPD 发展中的可能相互作用。
我们使用支气管镜微采样技术测量了 10 名从未吸烟的人、14 名无 COPD 的吸烟者和 24 名有 COPD 的吸烟者的中央或外周气道上皮衬液中的 HGF 和 VEGF 水平。我们还评估了它们的水平是否与肺功能参数和高分辨率 CT 扫描中观察到的低衰减区（LAA）程度相关。
COPD 吸烟者的外周气道中的 HGF 和 VEGF 水平明显低于从未吸烟者和无 COPD 的吸烟者。在 COPD 吸烟者中，外周气道中的 HGF 和 VEGF 水平与气道阻塞和肺弥散能力的程度呈负相关。HGF 和 VEGF 水平也与 LAA 程度相关。尽管 COPD 吸烟者和无 COPD 吸烟者的 VEGF 水平重叠很大，但无 COPD 吸烟者的 HGF 水平明显更高。
上调的 HGF 可能补偿了 VEGF 水平的降低，并维持了无 COPD 吸烟者的肺功能。相比之下，COPD 吸烟者的 HGF 和 VEGF 水平均降低，这可能导致 COPD 的发生。因此，HGF 相对于 VEGF 的水平可能是 COPD 风险的可靠指标。
