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Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors were postulated to be involved in pathogenesis of infantile hemangioma. The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of VEGF and soluble VEGF receptors (sVEGFR1/sVEGFR2) in children with hemangiomas.
Materials and methods: Thirty-eight children with infantile hemangiomas (25 proliferating, 13 involuting) and 34 healthy children were included in the study. sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 serum levels in peripheral blood and in vascular tumors were determined with ELISA test.
Results: sVEGFR1 serum levels were slightly lower in hemangioma patients (p = 0.049). No significant differences in sVEGFR2 levels were observed in any study group. VEGF levels did differ significantly, with median level being 364.05 pg/ml in hemangioma patients and 107.40 pg/ml in the control group (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: The obtained results suggest that VEGF is involved in hemangioma angiogenesis but that soluble VEGFRs marginally influence this process. Lower serum levels of sVEGFR1 in hemangioma patients indicate the possible dysregulation between VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 receptors.
Acknowledgments
We kindly thank Ms Jolanta Fryczak from the Department of Immunoendocrinology for precise laboratory work and Dr Wojciech Fendler from the Department of Pediatrics for professional statistical analysis, both from Medical University of Lodz.
Declaration of interest: The clinical part of this study was performed at Pediatric University Hospital No. 4 in Lodz. The study was supported by the Medical University of Lodz, grant No. 502-11-000. The results of the submitted paper were presented during the XVIII Workshop of the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA), 21–24 April 2010, Brussels, Belgium. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.