Decreased Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression Is Associated With Cell Apoptosis in Low-Dose Aspirin-Induced Gastric Mucosal Injury

Abstract

Background

The use of low-dose aspirin (LDA) has emerged as an important cause of gastrointestinal ulcers. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between LDA-induced gastric mucosal injury and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (vEGF) and cell apoptosis in elderly Chinese patients.

Methods

A total of 136 patients aged 60 to 80 years with LDA-induced (100 mg/d for at least 1 month) gastric mucosal injury and 48 age-matched healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into a low-severity group and a high-severity group based on their modified Lanza scale scores. Biopsy specimens of gastric mucosa from all participants were subjected to immunohistochemical staining for VEGF expression and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining for cell apoptosis. Staining indices and apoptotic indices were applied to assess VEGF expression level and the extent of cell apoptosis.

Results

VEGF expression decreased significantly in the 2 patient groups, whereas the extent of cell apoptosis significantly increased compared with the control group. Furthermore, Spearman's correlation coefficients suggest that VEGF expression levels and the extent of cell apoptosis in gastric mucosae shared a significant correlation with the severity of LDA-induced gastric mucosal injury. Receiver operating characteristics analysis further confirmed these results.

Conclusions

our findings provide important clues as to the underlying molecular mechanism behind gastric mucosal injury resulting from exposure to LDA in elderly adults, and also suggest that interventions specifically targeting the pathways associated with angiogenesis and apoptosis may help facilitate the healing process.