Circulating Hepatocyte Growth Factor Reflects Activation of Vascular Repair in Response to Stress.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is released by stressed human vascular cells and promotes vascular cell repair responses in both autocrine and paracrine ways. Subjects with a low capacity to express HGF in response to systemic stress have an increased cardiovascular risk. Human atherosclerotic plaques with a low content of HGF have a more unstable phenotype. The present study shows that subjects with a low ability to express HGF in response to metabolic stress have an increased risk to suffer myocardial infarction and stroke.
Competing Interests: The work was supported by the Swedish Society for Medical Research, Emil and Wera Cornell Foundation, Hjelt Foundation, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education, Crafoord Foundation, the Swedish Medical Society, Diabetes Foundation, Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation, Albert Påhlssons Foundation, Skåne University Hospital (SUS) Foundations and funds, Lund University Infrastructure grant “Malmö Population-based Cohorts” (STYR 2019/2046), and Lund University Diabetes Center (Swedish Research Council–Strategic Research Area Excellence of Diabetes Research in Sweden (Exodiab) grant number 2009-1039 and the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research grant number IRC15-006), National Natural Science Foundation of China grant 82120108004 (Dr Liang) and 82100479 (Dr Chen). All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
(© 2022 The Authors.)