title: High levels of serum angiogenic growth factors in patients with AL amyloidosis: comparisons with normal individuals and multiple myeloma patients.
abstract: Serum levels of five angiogenic cytokines were evaluated in 82 patients with primary systemic amyloidosis (AL). Angiopoietin-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor and angiogenin were higher in AL patients than in controls (n = 35) and newly-diagnosed, symptomatic, myeloma patients (n = 35). Angiopoetin-1/Angiopoetin-2 ratio was lower in AL compared to controls but higher than in myeloma patients. Angiopoetin-2 correlated with cardiac dysfunction indices; however, none of the angiogenic growth factors was prognostically significant. The increased angiogenic cytokine levels observed in AL seem to represent either a toxic effect of amyloid fibrils or light chains, or a compensatory response to organ dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Therapeutics, University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece. ekastritis@gmail.com
authors.forename: Efstathios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kastritis
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roussou
authors.forename: Michalis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gavriatopoulou
authors.forename: Evridiki
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Michalis
authors.forename: Magdalini
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Migkou
authors.forename: Sossana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delimpasi
authors.forename: Marie Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kyrtsonis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gogos
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liapis
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Charitaki
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Repousis
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Terpos
authors.forename: Meletios A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dimopoulos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000097:blood*; D042501:Angiogenic Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D042683:Angiopoietin-1 / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000097:blood*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic / Q000097:blood; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D042501:Angiogenic Proteins; D042683:Angiopoietin-1; D015415:Biomarkers; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; C046366:angiogenin; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic