title: Increased basic fibroblast growth factor-like substance in plasma from a subset of middle-aged or elderly male diabetic patients with microalbuminuria or proteinuria.
abstract: Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a potent endothelial cell growth factor that does not normally circulate in healthy nonpregnant adults. bFGF has been reported in plasma from patients with certain tumors consistent with a postulated role in tumor angiogenesis. In the present study we used an endothelial cell bioassay to test for a bFGF-like substance in plasma and urine from patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. We found increased bFGF immunoreactivity that correlated with bFGF-like endothelial cell growth-promoting activity in plasma from a subset of diabetic patients with persistent microalbuminuria or overt proteinuria. Plasma (bFGF-like) growth-promoting activity was significantly correlated with glycosylated hemoglobin (P < 0.05), but not patient age, race, degree of proteinuria, or systolic blood pressure. In a group of microalbuminuric or proteinuric diabetic subjects well matched according to baseline clinical characteristics, plasma (bFGF-like) growth-promoting activity was significantly decreased (P < 0.0001) in the subgroup of patients who were being treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor simultaneous to blood drawing for plasma growth assay. In patients not treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, multiple regression analysis showed that retinopathy was the only variable significantly associated with plasma growth-promoting activity. These results imply that plasma bFGF endothelial cell growth-promoting activity is increased and may contribute to pathophysiology in a heterogeneous subset of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients with persistent microalbuminuria or overt proteinuria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lyons, New Jersey 07939, USA.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Zimering
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000097:blood*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018761:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 / Q000097:blood; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000097:blood*; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2