Abstract
Behçet’s disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis of unknown aetiology. Its pathogenesis is related to endothelial cell dysfunction, humoral immune defects, and immune system dysregulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the pathogenesis of BD. We also investigated whether disease activity, age, or duration of BD correlates with VEGF and bFGF. We studied 33 patients and 20 healthy controls. Vascular endothelial growth factor and bFGF serum levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We measured acute phase reactants, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). The mean serum VEGF level was significantly higher in patients with BD (398.8±222.2 pg/ml) than the control group (193.0±122.4 pg/ml) (P=0.002). The levels were similar in both active and inactive BD (P=0.675) but did not correlate with disease duration, CRP, ESR, or age (P>0.05 for each). The bFGF was below detection limits in 18 of 33 patients with BD and ten of 20 controls, and its mean serum level was higher in BD patients (42.4±76.9 pg/ml) than controls (29.0±9.1 pg/ml), but this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.232). The bFGF levels were similar in both active and inactive BD (P=0.09) and, in patients, correlated with disease duration and CRP (r=0.58, P=0.02; r=−0.57, P=0.02, respectively) but not with ESR or age (P>0.05 for each). Vascular endothelial growth factor may be more important in the pathogenesis of BD than bFGF. Neither growth factor is an activity criterion or inflammatory marker in BD.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Yazıcı H, Yurdakul S, Hamuryudan V (1999) Behçet’s syndrome. Curr Opin Rheumatol 11:53–57
Saglam K, Yilmaz MI, Saglam A et al (2002) Levels of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in patients with Behçet’s disease. Rheumatol Int 21:146–148
Kontogiannis V, Powell RJ (2000) Behçet’s disease. Postgrad Med J 76:629–637
Sakane T, Takeno M, Suzuki N, Inaba G (1999). Behcet’s disease. N Engl J Med 341:1284–1291
Gul A (2001) Behçet’s disease: an update on the pathogenesis. Clin Exp Rheumatol 19 [Suppl]:S6–S12
Drouart M, Saas P, Billot M, Cedoz JP, Tiberghien P, Wendling D, Toussirot E (2003) High serum vascular endothelial growth factor correlates with disease activity of spondylarthropathies. Clin Exp Immunol 132:158–162
Navarro C, Candia-Zuniga, Silveira LH, Ruiz V, Gaxiola M, Avila MC, Amigo MC (2002) Vascular endothelial growth factor plasma levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and primary antiphospholipid syndrome. Lupus 11:21–24
Aguayo A, Kantarjian H, Manshouri T, Gidel C, Estey E, Thomas D et al (2000) Angiogenesis in acute and chronic leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes. Blood 96:2240–2245
Robak E, Wozniacka A, Sysa-Jedrzejowska A, Stepien H, Robak T (2002) Circulating angiogenesis inhibitor endostatin and positive endothelial growth regulators in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus 11:348–355
Robak E, Wozniacka A, Sysa-Jedrzejowska A et al (2001) Serum levels of angiogenic cytokines in systemic lupus erythematosus and their correlation with disease activity. Eur Cytokine Netw 12:445–452
Harada M, Mitsuyama K, Yoshida H et al (1998) Vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Scand J Rheumatol 27 377–380
Kikuchi K, Kubo M, Kadano T, Yazawa N, Ihn H, Tamaki K (1998) Serum concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor in collagen diseases. Br J Dermatol 139:1049–1051
Hamzaoui K, Hamzaoui A, Guemira F, Bessioud M, Hamza M, Ayed K (2002) Cytokine profile in Behcet’s disease patients. Relationship with disease activity. Scand J Rheumatol 31:205–210
Kiziltunç A, Yildirim AK, Keleş MS, Koçer I, Aksoy H, Başoğlu M et al (2003) Serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-8 and interleukin-6 levels in patients with Behcet’s disease. The Pain Clinic 15:159–165
International Study Group for Behçet’s disease (1990) Criteria for diagnosis of Behçet’s Disease. Lancet 335:1078–1080
Evereklioğlu C, Yürekli M, Er H et al (2000) Increased plasma adrenomedullin levels in patients with Behçet’s disease. Dermatology 201:312–315
Larsson A, Sköldenberg E, Ericson H (2002) Serum and plasma levels of FGF-2 and VEGF in healthy blood donors. Angiogenesis 5:107–110
Chambers JC, Haskard DO, Kooner JS (2001) Vascular endothelial function and oxidative stress mechanisms in patients with Behçet’s syndrome. JACC 37:517–520
Leiba M, Sidi Y, Gur H, Leiba A, Ehrenfeld M (2001) Behcet’s disease and thrombophilia. Ann Rheum Dis 60:1081–1085
Demirer S, Sengul N, Yardel MA, Tuzuner A et al (2000) Haemostasis in patients with Behçet’s disease. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 19:570–574
Williams FM, Parmar K, Hughes GR, Hunt BJ (2000) Systemic endothelial cell markers in primary antiphospholipid syndrome. Thromb Haemost 84:742–746
Lee S, Joo YS, Kim Wu et al (2001) Vascular endothelial growth factor levels in serum and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Exp Rheumatol 19:321–324
Zouboulis CC, Katsantonis J, Ketteler R, Treudler R, Kaklamani E, Hornemann S, Kaklamanis P, Orfanos CE (2000) Adamantiades-Behcet’s disease: interleukin-8 is increased in serum of patients with active oral and neurological manifestations and is secreted by small vessel endothelial cells. Arch Dermatol Res 292:279–84
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Erdem, F., Gündoğdu, M., Kiki, I. et al. Vascular endothelial and basic fibroblast growth factor serum levels in patients with Behçet’s disease. Rheumatol Int 25, 599–603 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-004-0484-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-004-0484-7