ISSN:
1440-1797
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Background and Aims: Recombinant erythropoietin upregulates the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors, Flt-1 (VEGFR-1) and KDR/Flk-1 (VEGFR-2), in endothelial cells. The integrity of the VEGF system seems to be crucial for the regulation of endothelial permeability and thus for the avoidance of renal protein leakage. As albuminuria/proteinuria is a hallmark of diabetic nephropathy, we examined cross-sectionally in 35 type 1 and 37 type 2 diabetic patients with various degrees of renal dysfunction and albuminuria whether there was an interrelationship between intrinsic erythropoietin (EPO) and VEGF/Flt-1.Methods and Results: In patients with plasma creatinine values ≤1.5 (n = 53) or 〉1.5 mg/dL (n = 19), the mean serum EPO was 5.6 ± 4.4 and 10.2 ± 7.0 mU/mL (P = 0.02), respectively. In the two groups, urinary and serum VEGF165 concentrations were similarly distributed (mean 94.3 ± 91.8 vs 108 ± 72.2 ng/L and 91.7 ± 76.8 vs 91.9 ± 74.9 ng/L, respectively; both P = NS). The mean urinary Flt-1 for the two groups amounted to 0.14 ± 0.35 and 0.51 ± 0.93 ng/mL (P = 0.045), respectively. No correlation between VEGF or Flt-1 and EPO was apparent.Conclusion: Our data suggest that in vivo EPO does not affect the functionality and/or production of components of the VEGF/Flt-1 system in diabetics with normal or reduced renal function.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1797.2005.00366.x
Permalink
