Significance of serum circulating hepatocyte growth factor in the development of carotid atherosclerosis.

We investigated the relation between the serum concentration of HGF and carotid atherosclerosis. Serum concentrations of HGF were measured in 128 in-patients (mean age, 74 +/- 11 years) free from cardiac, liver and renal diseases, in addition to lung diseases, in the Medical Department of Nomura Municipal Hospital between August, 2000 and June, 2001. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was evaluated by ultrasonography with a 7.5 MHz linear type B-mode probe. The results showed a significantly positive correlation between serum age and HGF concentrations in patients with carotid atherosclerosis (IMT > 1.0 mm) (r = 0.391, p = 0.005). On the other hand, there was no significant correlation between age and serum HGF concentration in those without carotid atherosclerosis (IMT </= 1.0 mm) (r = 0.157, p = 0.173). A general linear model analysis for HGF adjusted with other risk factors showed that the age-carotid atherosclerosis interactions were significantly associated with serum HGF (F [1.114] = 6.193; p = 0.014), in addition to age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), aniti-hypertensive drug use, diabetes mellitus and carotid atherosclerosis. In contrast, multiple regression analysis showed that serum HGF (beta = 0.160, p = 0.033) was independently associated with carotid atherosclerois, in addition to gender, age, SBP and HDL-cholesterol. These results suggest that increased serum HGF concentrations were associated with carotid atherosclerosis, independent of known risk factors for atherosclerosis.