Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
Volume 174, Issue 2, Pages 161-170Publisher
AMER THORACIC SOC
DOI: 10.1164/rccm.200510-1558OC
Keywords
airway inflammation; extracellular matrix; permeability; remodeling
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Rationale: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) are mediators of airway inflammation and remodeling in asthma. Objectives: This study investigates a potential relationship between VEGF and MMP-9, and the mechanisms by which VEGF signaling regulates MMP-9 expression in asthma. Methods:We evaluated whether levels of VEGF correlated with levels of MMP-9 in the sputum of asthma patients, and the effect of VEGF receptor inhibitors on MMP-9 expression in murine model of asthma. Measurements and Main Results: We have found that levels of VEGF and MMP-9 are significantly higher in the sputum of patients with asthma than in healthy control subjects, and a significant correlation is found between the levels of VEGF and MMP-9. This study with the ovalbumin-induced model of asthma revealed the following typical path a physiologic features of asthma in the lungs: increased numbers of inflammatory cells of the airways, airway hyperresponsiveness, increased vascular permeability, and increased levels of MMP-9 and VEGF. Administration of VEGF receptor inhibitors reduced the pathophysiologic signs of asthma and decreased the increased expression of MMP-9 after ovalbumin inhalation. Conclusions: These results indicate that there is a close relationship between VEGF and MMP-9 expression and that inhibition of VEGF receptor down-regulates the expression of MMP-9. These findings suggest that VEGF signaling regulates MMP-9 expression and plays a critical role in initiation and maintenance of asthma.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available