Abstract:

Objective To explore the relationship between vascular endothelial function and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Fifty-two patients with COPD in stable phase visiting Department of Respiratory Medicine, Renji Hospital from May 2008 to March 2009 were selected, and were divided into mild group (n=12), moderate group (n=12), severe group (n=14) and extremely severe group (n=14). Besides, another 26 healthy volunteers were served as control group, and were subdivided into healthy smoking control group (n=13) and healthy non-smoking control group (n=13). Pulmonary function tests were performed in all subjects. Concentrations of plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1), serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and serum nitric oxide (NO) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and NO2-／NO3- nitrate reductase assay. Results The concentrations of serum NO and VEGF in COPD groups were significantly lower than those of healthy non-smoking control group (P<0.05). The concentrations of serum NO and VEGF were positively related to forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) （r=0.767，P<0.01；r=0.658，P<0.01). The concentrations of plasma ET-1 in COPD groups were significantly higher than those in healthy control groups （P<0.05）. The concentration of plasma ET-1 was negatively related to FEV1 （r=-0.816，P<0.01). Conclusion There exists vascular endothelial dysfunction in patients with COPD, which is closely related to disease severity.

Key words: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, vascular endothelial cell, endothelin-1, nitrogen oxide, vascular endothelial growth factor