Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing reperfusion therapy.

1. Vascular endothelial growth factor, a potent angiogenic mitogen, is known to be induced in response to ischaemia as well as being secreted from tumour cells. However, the precise mechanism of vascular endothelial growth factor release in acute myocardial infarction and the effects of coronary reperfusion on the circulating levels of vascular endothelial growth factor are still unknown. 2. Nineteen patients with acute myocardial infarction who underwent early reperfusion therapy were studied. Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor before reperfusion were markedly increased as compared with those in 19 healthy control subjects [252.4 +/- 158.1 pg/ml (mean +/- SD) compared with undetectable]. After reperfusion, the serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels rapidly returned almost completely to the normal control range. 4. These data strongly suggest that the serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor is one of the most sensitive indicators of myocardial ischaemia.