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Magnetic resonance mapping demonstrates benefits of VEGF–induced myocardial angiogenesis

Nature Medicine volume 1, pages 1085–1089 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

Coronary occlusive disease is the leading cause of death in industrial nations and affects one in four adults. Although heart attacks are caused by occlusion of a coronary artery, some patients have occlusions without infarction because they have sufficient collateral vessels providing an alternate pathway for blood supply. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic peptide that can stimulate collateral vessel development in the ischaemic myocardium1–6. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and image processing to identify and quantify non–invasively the benefits related to VEGF infusion on collateral development in the heart. This was accomplished as a placebo–controlled study in the porcine model of chronic ischaemia7,8 that most closely mimics the human pathophysiology of progressive coronary occlusion9. Image series converted to a space–time map demonstrated that with treatment the ischaemic zone was smaller and the contrast arrival delay was less, which resulted in better ejection fraction and regional wall thickening. These findings demonstrate in a manner applicable to humans, that VEGF improves collateral blood supply, resulting in improved cardiac global and regional function after and in spite of coronary artery occlusion.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA

    Justin D. Pearlman, Michael L. Chuang & Stephen R. Gladstone

  2. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA

    Mark G. Hibberd, Kazumasa Harada, John J. Lopez & Michael Simons

  3. Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA

    Menahem Friedman & Frank W. Sellke

  4. Charles A. Dana Research Institute and Harvard–Thorndike Laboratory, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA

    Justin D. Pearlman, Mark G. Hibberd, Michael L. Chuang, Kazumasa Harada, John J. Lopez, Stephen R. Gladstone, Menahem Friedman, Frank W. Sellke & Michael Simons

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  1. Justin D. Pearlman
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  3. Michael L. Chuang
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  4. Kazumasa Harada
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  5. John J. Lopez
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  6. Stephen R. Gladstone
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  7. Menahem Friedman
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  8. Frank W. Sellke
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  9. Michael Simons
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Pearlman, J., Hibberd, M., Chuang, M. et al. Magnetic resonance mapping demonstrates benefits of VEGF–induced myocardial angiogenesis. Nat Med 1, 1085–1089 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1095-1085

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