Strongly enhanced serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) after polytrauma and burn

Angiogenesis is a key component of the repair mechanisms triggered by tissue injury. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important mediator of angiogenesis, as it acts directly and specifically on endothelial cells. VEGF produced locally in regenerating tissue may spill over into the systemic circulation, and measuring levels of circulating VEGF may allow monitoring of angiogenesis. To determine whether circulating VEGF is increased after severe injury, we measured concentrations of VEGF in serial serum samples of 23 mechanical burn patients, 55 patients with multiple trauma and 56 healthy normal controls, using a newly established ELISA assay. In burn patients, serum VEGF was increased on day 1 (369.4 ± 88.0 pg/ml) and on day 3 (452.0 ± 65.3 pg/ml), reached highest levels on day 14 (1809.5 ± 239.7 pg/ml) and was still elevated on day 21 post-burn (1339.8 ± 208.7 pg/ml) (mean ± SEM, p