Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma contain an angiogenic growth factor: basic FGF.

The presence of an angiogenic protein basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) was established in juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNF). Extracts of these tumors have the capacity to stimulate endothelial cell proliferation. This activity is indistinguishable from basic FGF. The biological activity contained in the extracts binds to heparin-Sepharose columns and is eluted with a characteristic 2 mol sodium chloride. The exact fraction of the biological activity corresponds to the location where an immunoreactive basic FGF can be detected by radioimmunoassay. These same fractions contain an 18,000-d molecule which is identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting with an antibody to basic FGF. Indeed, immunohistochemical studies localize the growth factor to the endothelium of JNF. Although these findings do not establish that basic FGF mediates the development of this angiofibroma, they do support the possibility that the pathogenesis of JNF is associated with the presence of angiogenic factors like basic FGF. If this is the case, a comprehensive study of the etiology of JNF may lead to a better understanding of how locally produced growth factors mediate proliferative disease and how its modification might lead to better treatment on a biological basis.