Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 80(6), 2009, pp. 980-982
Copyright © 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
SHORT REPORT
Dynamic Changes of Hepatocyte Growth Factor in Eosinophilic Meningitis Caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection
Hung-Chin Tsai,
Yen-Lin Huang,
Yung-Ching Liu,
Shue-Ren Wann,
Susan Shin-Jung Lee,
Eng-Rin Chen,
Chuan-Min Yen,
Ming-Hong Tai,
Min-Hon Shi, AND
Yao-Shen Chen*
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan and National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Parasitology and Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China; Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohisung, Taiwan, Republic of China
ABSTRACT
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a member of the angiogenic growth factor family, which exerts a variety of effects on epithelial, endothelial, and neuronal cells by binding to the c-MET receptor tyrosine kinase. It was reported that HGF attenuates cerebral ischemia-induced increase in permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and decreases in expression of tight junction proteins in cerebral vessels of rats. Studies on the localization of the c-Met/HGF receptor in the rat brain and the interaction with HGF after brain injuries show that HGF plays an important role as a neurotrophic factor in the brain. To assess the role of HGF in patients with eosinophilic meningitis, a retrospective, cohort study was conducted to measure the dynamic changes of HGF in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood of nine patients with eosinophilic meningitis. The mean HGFCSF at presentation, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks after admission was 539 pg/mL, 540 pg/mL, 376 pg/mL, and 279 pg/mL, respectively. The mean level of HGFCSF at presentation (539 ± 242 pg/mL) and 1 week after admission (540 ± 213 pg/mL) was significantly higher than in controls (162 ± 207 pg/mL)(P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively). The CSF/blood ratio of HGF at presentation (0.61) was higher when compared with physiologic situations in uninfected individuals (0.51). The levels of HGF in CSF were not correlated with the amount of CSF cells or proteins. All patients recovered without neurologic sequelae. These results indicate that high concentrations of HGF in the CSF occur in eosinophilic meningitis, and may have a role in protecting against endothelial injury and reducing BBB dysfunction.
Received February 22, 2008.
Accepted for publication March 6, 2009.
Financial support: This work is supported by grant VGHKS95-014 and VGHKS97-034 from Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital and by grant NSC-96-2320-B-075B-002 from the National Science Council, Republic of China.
* Address correspondence to Yao-Shen Chen, Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, 386, Ta-Chung 1st Road, Kaohsiung City, 813, Taiwan. E-mail: hctsai1011{at}yahoo.com.tw
Authors’ addresses: Hung-Chin Tsai, Yung-Ching Liu, Shue-Ren Wann, Susan Shin-Jung Lee, Min-Hon Shi, and Yao-Shen Chen, Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital 386, Ta-Chung 1st Road, Kaohsiung City, 813, Taiwan and National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. Yen-Lin Huang and Ming-Hong Tai, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan. Eng-Rin Chen, Chuan-Min Yen, and Min-Hon Shi, Department of Parasitology and Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, No. 100, Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
