Enhanced secretion of cardiac hepatocyte growth factor from an infarct region is associated with less severe ventricular enlargement and improved cardiac function

OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) may play a cardioprotective role in human myocardial infarction (MI). BACKGROUND The HGF is a novel, multifunctional growth factor implicated in wound healing, angiogenesis and promotion of cell survival. Recent animal studies have demonstrated the existence of an HGF system in the heart, where it is activated in response to myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. METHODS We studied 40 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), who underwent coronary reperfusion therapy upon admission. Approximately four weeks later, left ventricular (LV) catheterization was repeated to determine the LV ejection fraction (EF), end-diastolic volume index (EDVI) and pressure (EDP). The levels of HGF and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were measured by collecting blood samples from cardiac veins draining the infarcted region (MI region) and those draining the noninfarcted region (non-MI region). The ratio of the HGF level in the MI region to that in the non-MI region (= MI/non-MI ratio) was calculated in each patient as an index of the MI-related HGF secretion. The MI/non-MI ratio for BNP was also calculated. RESULTS The MI/non-MI ratio for HGF correlated inversely with LVEDP (r = −0.644, p < 0.0001) and LVEDVI (r = −0.843, p < 0.0001) and positively with LVEF (r = 0.763, p < 0.0001). These correlations were completely opposite in direction from those for BNP and LVEDP (r = 0.678, p < 0.0001), LVEDVI (r = 0.783, p < 0.0001) and LVEF (r = −0.805, p < 0.0001). These findings indicate that cardiac HGF acts in contrast to BNP, a biochemical marker for the development of LV remodeling. CONCLUSIONS Enhanced secretion of cardiac HGF from the MI region is associated with an attenuation of ventricular enlargement and an improvement in cardiac function. The HGF system may modulate the process of ventricular remodeling and thus have important clinical implications.