Serum Hepatocyte Growth Factor as a Possible Indicator of Vascular Lesions1

To investigate the role of human hepatocyte growth factor (hHGF) in vascular lesions associated with endothelial injury, we measured serum hHGF concentrations in subjects with retinal arteriosclerosis, coronary atherosclerosis, or arteriolitis due to Henoch-Schönlein purpura. Individuals with more advanced grades of retinal arteriosclerosis showed higher serum hHGF concentrations [grade 0, 0.053+/-0.005 ng/mL (n = 68); grade 1, 0.144+/-0.022 ng/mL (n = 21; P<0.01 vs. grade 0); grade 2, 0.338+/-0.036 ng/mL (n = 20; P<0.01 vs. grade 0 or 1); grade 3, 0.526+/-0.051 ng/mL (n = 9; P<0.01 vs. grade 0, 1, or 2)]. Patients with active arteriolitis due to Henoch-Schönlein purpura showed higher (P<0.01) serum hHGF concentrations (0.347+/-0.038 ng/mL; n = 14) than those in the remission phase (0.097+/-0.017 ng/mL; n = 19). Mean serum hHGF concentrations were higher in subjects with coronary atherosclerosis than in those without, but a significant overlap in serum hHGF concentrations was found between subjects with and those without coronary atherosclerosis. Serum hHGF may be an indicator of the presence or development of arteriolar lesions.