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Cerebrospinal fluid VEGF levels and angiogenic capacity as potential prognostic markers in patients with gliomas: a pilot study

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Abstract

Introduction

Gliomas are tumors of the central nervous system. Despite new classifications, they are still divided in low and high-grade gliomas, being the latter of greater malignancy. The degree of malignancy is directly related with the angiogenic activity in tumoral tissues. We measured VEGF concentrations and angiogenic capacity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with high and low-grade gliomas. The purpose of this study was to find a biomarker that contributes in the differential diagnosis and prognosis of gliomas.

Methods

CSF was obtained from 19 individuals: 8 with low-grade gliomas, 6 with high-grade gliomas and 5 controls. VEGF concentration in CSF was measured by ELISA and the angiogenic capacity was measured by chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) test.

Results

The VEGF concentration was higher in patients with high-grade gliomas, compared to patients with low-grade gliomas and controls (2860 pg/mL ± 975 vs. 182.6 ± 37.1 and 47.4 ± 0.4, respectively). On the other hand, CSF from patients with high-grade gliomas generated a higher microvascular density (MVD) than patients with low-grade gliomas and controls (13.23 ± 0.6 vessels/9000μm2 vs. 9.3 ± 0.3 and 7.92 ± 0.2, respectively). Interestingly, there was not statistical differences in both VEGF levels and angiogenic capacity in patients with low-grade gliomas and controls.

Conclusion

Together VEGF levels and angiogenic capacity in CSF can be used as a biological marker of gliomas malignancy.

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Funding

This study was funded by”Iniciación” I08/08–2 of the “Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Desarrollo” of the Universidad de Chile and the grant “Temas Libres” 324/08 of the “Oficina de apoyo a la investigación” of the Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Sergio Vera

  2. Departamento de Neurología y Psiquiatría, Clínica Alemana Santiago, Chile y Departamento Oncología, Clínica Alemana Santiago, Santiago, Chile

    Mariana Sinning

  3. Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago, Chile

    Marcela Vergara & Carlos Rosas

  4. Programa de Anatomía y Biología del Desarrollo, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    David Lemus

Authors
  1. Sergio Vera
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  2. Mariana Sinning
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  3. Marcela Vergara
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  4. David Lemus
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  5. Carlos Rosas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carlos Rosas.

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All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All applicable international, national and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in the studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Vera, S., Sinning, M., Vergara, M. et al. Cerebrospinal fluid VEGF levels and angiogenic capacity as potential prognostic markers in patients with gliomas: a pilot study. J Neurooncol 145, 233–239 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-019-03314-9

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