title: Hepatocyte growth factor plasma levels after myocardial infarction are not affected by recombinant tissue-type plasminogen-activator therapy.
abstract: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a cytokine involved in tissue regeneration, angiogenesis and lateral vessel growth, is secreted as a biological-inactive, single-chain precursor named pro-HGF. In case, of tissue injury pro-HGF is proteolytically cleaved at the extracellular locus by serine proteases. Results obtained from in vitro experiments showed that urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) can cleave single-chain HGF. In this study we measured serum HGF levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MCI). Two groups of patients were compared. One group (n = 7) was treated with a conventional therapy and the other group (n = 7) was subjected to a thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rtPA). Serum samples were collected at time of admission and subsequently 12-16 hours, 20-30 hours and 50-60 hours after onset of chest pain. At admission and before administration of rtPA, serum HGF levels peaked at 16.8 +/- 2.2 ng/ml in the lysed group and at 20.7 +/- 6.5 ng/ml in the non-lysed group. Levels then continuously declined, reaching lowest values 50-60 hours after onset of chest pain (3.2 +/- 1.3 ng/ml in the group treated with rtPA versus 4.4 +/- 0.9 ng/ml in the non-lysed group). No statistical significant difference could be detected between the two groups at any time. We suggest that serine proteases other than tPA are involved in HGF activation in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Innsbruck, Anichstr. 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buratti
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Wiedermann
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tilg
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D007527:Isoenzymes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator