Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and VEGF-A 165 b are associated with time to remission of granulomatosis with polyangiitis in a nationwide Japanese prospective cohort study.

Background: Effective prognostic markers are needed for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). This study evaluated the clinical associations of serum vascular endothelial growth factor-A (sVEGF-A) and sVEGF-A ₁₆₅ b (an antiangiogenic isoform of VEGF-A) concentrations with time to remission of AAV in a nationwide Japanese prospective follow-up cohort.
Methods: We collected samples from patients with AAV who were enrolled in the nationwide Japanese cohort study (RemIT-JAV-RPGN). We measured sVEGF-A and sVEGF-A ₁₆₅ b concentrations using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in 57 serum samples collected 6 months before and after initiation of AAV treatment. Patients were classified based on AAV disease subtypes: microscopic polyangiitis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA).
Results: Results revealed significant reductions in sVEGF-A and sVEGF-A ₁₆₅ b concentrations in patients with microscopic polyangiitis and EGPA, respectively. However, despite the comparable concentrations of sVEGF-A and sVEGF-A ₁₆₅ b during the 6 months of treatment in granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients, correlation analysis revealed that the differences in log ₂ -transformed concentrations of sVEGF-A and sVEGF-A ₁₆₅ b were inversely correlated with time to remission in granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients.
Conclusion: These results suggest that sVEGF-A and -A ₁₆₅ b can serve as potential markers of time to remission in patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis.