Abstract
Objectives: To investigate whether birth asphyxia acute or chronic can stimulate secretion of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) Study designe: We evaluated VEGF protein level in the umbilical blood in 44 healthy neonates (19 term and 25 preterm) and 79 hypoxic neonates. Among the hypoxic newborns 40 was born at term (28 with birth weight appropriate for gestational age - AGA, and 12 with birth weight below 10 percentile-SGA) and 39 was born before 32 week of gestation (25 AGA and 14 SGA). ELISE assay for VEGF was purchased from R&D Systems and used according to instructions.
Results: In the healthy newborns VEGF level was 78,45±152,12 pg/ml in the term and 45,41±23,46 in the preterm. The level of VEGF was higher in the hypoxic neonates. The levels of VEGF in the hypoxic term newborn with AGA and SGA birth weight were 658,99±360,89 and 741,26±332,67 respectively. The levels of VEGF in the hypoxic preterm neonates with AGA and SGA birth weight were 833,41±276,62 and 847,63±276,21 respectively. There were no differences between newborns with AGA and SGA birth weight. The levels of VEGF were highest in the neonates who developed PVL, NEC, BPD, ROP or HIE. In the term neonates we have found positive correlation between the level of VEGF and oxygenation index and medium airway pressure during the first day of life. We have found also positive correlation between the level of VEGF and duration of TPN, katecholamine treatment and hospital stay.
Conclusions: The vascular endothelial growth factor is releases in the response for either acute or chronic hypoxia and is assumed to be early indicator of birth asphixia.
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Maroszynska, I., Zeman, K., Majewska, E. et al. 178 Birth Asphixia Changes The Concentration of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. Pediatr Res 56, 494 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-200409000-00201
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-200409000-00201