Role of vascular endothelial growth factor in pulmonary endothelial cell injury by exercise challenge in asthmatic patients.

This study was designed to examine the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in pulmonary endothelial cell injury by exercise in asthmatics. Post-exercise circulating thrombomodulin (TM) levels were significantly increased in asthmatics. Moreover, the increase in TM levels with exercise was significantly correlated with VEGF level in induced sputum from asthmatics (r = 0.80, p = 0.0007). After inhaled steroid therapy, post-exercise TM levels were significantly decreased, but the increase in TM levels with exercise was also correlated with VEGF level (r = 0.60, p = 0.01). Thus, pulmonary endothelial cells stimulated by VEGF in asthmatic airways may be sensitive to exercise challenge.