title: Concentration of angiopoietins 1 and 2 and their receptor Tie-2 in peripheral blood in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both angiopoietins (angiopoietin 1 - Ang-1, angiopoietin 2 - Ang-2) and angiopoietin receptors (Tie) are involved in angiogenesis and vascular remodeling.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess concentrations of Ang-1, Ang-2 and Tie-2 in blood of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and evaluate if their concentrations depend on the severity of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients with COPD (stage II-IV) and 8 healthy smokers as well as 8 healthy non-smokers were included in the study. Detailed history was taken, physical examination and spirometry tests were done and blood samples were taken for evaluation of serum concentrations of Ang-1, Ang-2 and Tie.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among COPD patients, 8 patients suffered from moderate disease, 8 patients had severe, while 14 patients had very severe disease. The concentrations of Ang-1 and Ang-2 were not significantly greater in patients with COPD than in healthy controls. The highest concentrations of Ang-1 and Ang-2 were observed in patients with moderate COPD, and levels of Ang-2 correlated with Tie-2 in this group of patients. The levels of Ang-1 were the lowest in healthy non-smokers and in patients with severe COPD, where they inversely correlated with Tie-2. The concentrations of Ang-2 were not significantly higher in patients with moderate COPD when compared with those with severe and very severe disease and healthy smokers, and were significantly higher than in healthy non-smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is possible that Ang-1, Ang-2 and Tie-2 play an important role especially in the early stage of COPD but not in the late phase when vascular complications of the disease occur.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumonology and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Paweł Górski MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kierszniewska-Stępień
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumonology and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Paweł Górski MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pietras
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Oncological Pneumonology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Adam Antczak MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciebiada
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumonology and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Paweł Górski MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Górski
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunoendocrinology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Henryk Stępień MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Henryk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stępień
keywords: angiogenesis; complications; disease severity; receptor; vascular bed