Pediatric reference values of VEGF-D derived from a German population-based cohort of healthy children

IF 3.2 3区医学 Q2 MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY

Clinica Chimica Acta Pub Date : 2025-03-09 DOI:10.1016/j.cca.2025.120241

Maria Arélin , Frauke Hornemann , Andreas Merkenschlager , Ronald Biemann , Uta Ceglarek , Julia Klinkhammer , Ronny Baber , Wieland Kiess , Juergen Kratzsch , Mandy Vogel

{"title":"Pediatric reference values of VEGF-D derived from a German population-based cohort of healthy children","authors":"Maria Arélin , Frauke Hornemann , Andreas Merkenschlager , Ronald Biemann , Uta Ceglarek , Julia Klinkhammer , Ronny Baber , Wieland Kiess , Juergen Kratzsch , Mandy Vogel","doi":"10.1016/j.cca.2025.120241","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D) is a growth-factor involved in the development of blood vessels and lymphatics in tissues all over the human body. Interestingly, VEGF-D serum levels are increased in certain tumor entities. For tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a rare genetic disease associated with (benign) tumor growth, VEGF-D is already implemented as a diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker to monitor onset and progress of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), one of the noncancerous tumor manifestations in mainly female adult TSC patients.</div><div>To date only adult VEGF-D serum cut off values are established and used as a diagnostic tool in LAM.</div><div>Neither cut off nor pediatric reference values for VEGF-D serum levels are known, our study aims to provide reliable pediatric VEGF-D results in samples from healthy children and adolescents.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed 2003 samples provided by healthy children aged 0.25–18 years participating in the prospective longitudinal population-based cohort study „LIFE Child“ in Leipzig, Germany. Serum VEGF-D levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>VEGF-D levels in healthy children and adolescents show age-and gender specific variations.</div><div>We showed a significant difference between girls and boys in post pubertal VEGF-D levels. Especially the fact, that girls showed higher VEGF-D levels with advancing stages of puberty is underlining the importance of estrogen metabolism in context of VEGF-D mediated cell proliferation, angiogenesis and associated disease mechanisms.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Knowing VEGF-D levels in growing healthy young children and adolescents could help to recognize early disease progression of LAM in individuals at risk especially young women suffering from TSC. Further studies are needed on VEGF-D serum levels in children, especially the impact of estrogen metabolism on VEGF-D should be investigated further.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10205,"journal":{"name":"Clinica Chimica Acta","volume":"571 ","pages":"Article 120241"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinica Chimica Acta","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009898125001202","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D) is a growth-factor involved in the development of blood vessels and lymphatics in tissues all over the human body. Interestingly, VEGF-D serum levels are increased in certain tumor entities. For tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a rare genetic disease associated with (benign) tumor growth, VEGF-D is already implemented as a diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker to monitor onset and progress of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), one of the noncancerous tumor manifestations in mainly female adult TSC patients.

To date only adult VEGF-D serum cut off values are established and used as a diagnostic tool in LAM.

Neither cut off nor pediatric reference values for VEGF-D serum levels are known, our study aims to provide reliable pediatric VEGF-D results in samples from healthy children and adolescents.

Methods

We analyzed 2003 samples provided by healthy children aged 0.25–18 years participating in the prospective longitudinal population-based cohort study „LIFE Child“ in Leipzig, Germany. Serum VEGF-D levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay.

Results

VEGF-D levels in healthy children and adolescents show age-and gender specific variations.

We showed a significant difference between girls and boys in post pubertal VEGF-D levels. Especially the fact, that girls showed higher VEGF-D levels with advancing stages of puberty is underlining the importance of estrogen metabolism in context of VEGF-D mediated cell proliferation, angiogenesis and associated disease mechanisms.

Conclusion

Knowing VEGF-D levels in growing healthy young children and adolescents could help to recognize early disease progression of LAM in individuals at risk especially young women suffering from TSC. Further studies are needed on VEGF-D serum levels in children, especially the impact of estrogen metabolism on VEGF-D should be investigated further.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Clinica Chimica Acta 医学-医学实验技术

CiteScore

10.10

自引率

2.00%

发文量

1268

审稿时长

23 days

期刊介绍： The Official Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Clinica Chimica Acta is a high-quality journal which publishes original Research Communications in the field of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine, defined as the diagnostic application of chemistry, biochemistry, immunochemistry, biochemical aspects of hematology, toxicology, and molecular biology to the study of human disease in body fluids and cells. The objective of the journal is to publish novel information leading to a better understanding of biological mechanisms of human diseases, their prevention, diagnosis, and patient management. Reports of an applied clinical character are also welcome. Papers concerned with normal metabolic processes or with constituents of normal cells or body fluids, such as reports of experimental or clinical studies in animals, are only considered when they are clearly and directly relevant to human disease. Evaluation of commercial products have a low priority for publication, unless they are novel or represent a technological breakthrough. Studies dealing with effects of drugs and natural products and studies dealing with the redox status in various diseases are not within the journal''s scope. Development and evaluation of novel analytical methodologies where applicable to diagnostic clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine, including point-of-care testing, and topics on laboratory management and informatics will also be considered. Studies focused on emerging diagnostic technologies and (big) data analysis procedures including digitalization, mobile Health, and artificial Intelligence applied to Laboratory Medicine are also of interest.