title: Impairment of angiogenic activity in the serum from patients with coronary aneurysms due to Kawasaki disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The inflammatory mediators play an important role in the progression of coronary vasculitis in Kawasaki disease (KD), but effects of KD serum including inflammatory mediators on endothelial cells remain unknown. We hypothesized that serum activity to stimulate in vitro human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) tube formation might be impaired in KD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum from patients with coronary aneurysms was less active in stimulating HUVEC tube formation than serum from patients without coronary aneurysms or febrile controls. In patients with coronary aneurysms, the reduction in the serum angiogenic activity was documented already before KD treatment (p=0.03 vs healthy controls, p=0.08 vs febrile controls) and enhanced after intravenous immune globulin plus aspirin (p<0.001 vs healthy controls, p=0.002 vs febrile controls); both drugs did not affect the assay studied. This reduction was greater in patients who later developed giant aneurysms >8 mm compared with those who developed small to moderate aneurysms (p=0.01). The reduced serum angiogenic activity was partly caused by the reduction in the serum activity of stimulating HUVEC proliferation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum activity to stimulate HUVEC tube formation was impaired in KD patients who later developed larger coronary aneurysms, which may be associated with the severity of vascular injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan. ks-higashi@par.odn.ne.jp
authors.forename: Kouji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Higashi
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terai
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kohno
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003323:Coronary Aneurysm / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007223:Infant; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D044967:Serum / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000166:cytology; D014859:Warfarin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000925:Anticoagulants; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D014859:Warfarin; D003907:Dexamethasone; D006493:Heparin; D011239:Prednisolone; C021322:prednisolone hemisuccinate; D001241:Aspirin