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Increased expression of VEGF following exercise training in patients with heart failure
Author(s) -
Gustafsson T.,
Bodin K.,
Sylvén C.,
Gordon A.,
TyniLenné R.,
Jansson E.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2362.2001.00816.x
Subject(s) - heart failure , vascular endothelial growth factor , angiogenesis , medicine , skeletal muscle , messenger rna , vegf receptors , endocrinology , gene expression , cardiology , biology , gene , biochemistry
Background and aims During the last decades several angiogenic factors have been characterized but so far it is unknown whether local muscle exercise training increases the expression of these factors in patients with moderate heart failure. Expression of the major putative angiogenic factor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) at the level of messneger RNA (mRNA) and/or protein was therefore studied before and after 8 weeks of training in patient with chronic heart failure. Methods VEGF mRNA and protein concentrations were determined in skeletal muscle biopsies before and after 8 weeks of one‐legged knee extension training in patients with chronic heart failure (New York Heart Association II–III). Results Exercise training increased the citrate synthase activity and peripheral exercise capacity by 46% and 36%, respectively, in parallel with a two‐fold increase in VEGF at both the mRNA ( P = 0·03) and protein ( P = 0·02) levels Conclusion The increase in VEGF gene expression in response to exercise training indicates VEGF to be one possible mediator in exercise‐induced angiogenesis and may therefore regulate an important and early step in adaptation to increased muscle activity in patient with chronic heart failure.