| Popis: |
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an endothelial cell-specific mitogen thought to play an important role in coronary collateral vessel formation. We used immunocytochemistry to determine VEGF expression in biopsies (n=283) of transplanted human hearts (n=109) with and without microvascular fibrin. Measures of vascular fibrin, alpha 2 plasmin-inhibitor (a 2 Pl), macrophages, neutrophils, and serum cardiac troponin T titers were used to evaluate myocardial damage. Antibody to T lymphocytes was used to evaluate cellular rejection, and HLA-DR, ICAM-1, and PAL-E antibodies were used to assess endothelial cell activation and phenotypic changes in the microcirculation. No VEGF immunoreactivity was detected in control donor hearts without fibrin, but the proportion of biopsies demonstrating VEGF immunoreactivity increased significantly in allografts with increasing fibrin and a 2 PI reactivity (P=0.0001). VEGF immunoreactivity was confined to areas of fibrin deposition and was associated with infiltrates of macrophages and neutrophils (P |
