Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
VEGF and receptor levels in liver biopsies from dogs with congenital
By Tivers, M S et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2012·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor expression in biopsy samples of liver from dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSS), a condition affecting blood flow in the liver, underwent surgery to improve their liver function. After the surgery, researchers found changes in certain proteins related to blood vessel growth in liver tissue samples. Specifically, the levels of a protein called VEGF decreased, while another protein, VEGFR2, increased after a second surgery for some dogs. These changes suggest that the liver was responding positively to the surgery, leading to better blood flow and function. More research is needed to fully understand how these changes affect recovery.
People also search for: dog liver shunt surgery recovery · congenital portosystemic shunt treatment · liver function improvement in dogs
Abstract
Surgical attenuation of a congenital portosystemic shunt (CPSS) results in increased liver mass, development of intrahepatic portal vasculature and improved liver function. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of VEGF and its receptor in the hepatic response to CPSS surgery. The study included 99 dogs with CPSS treated with either partial or complete suture attenuation. Forty-four dogs with partial attenuation underwent a second surgery for complete attenuation. The expression of VEGF and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in biopsy samples of liver was assessed by immunohistochemistry with rabbit anti-human VEGF polyclonal antibody and mouse anti-human VEGFR2 monoclonal antibody. Expression of these molecules was graded. The proportion of samples expressing VEGF was significantly greater in samples from dogs with CPSS compared with control samples (P=0.04) and the proportion of samples expressing VEGFR2 was significantly greater in control samples compared with samples from dogs with CPSS (P=0.04). VEGF labelling grade decreased significantly (P=0.038) and VEGFR2 increased significantly (P=0.046) between first and second surgery. The decrease in VEGF may reflect transient expression, preferential expression of other factors, reperfusion of existing vessels and/or increased angiogenesis before surgery in the form of arterialization and subsequent reduction due to improved portal blood flow. Partial suture attenuation was associated with a degree of 'normalization' of VEGF and VEGFR2 expression when compared with the control samples. Further investigation is needed to provide more information on the hepatic response to CPSS surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21996035/