Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) play a central role in the pathogenesis of digital clubbing

Abstract

Digital clubbing is associated with many unrelated serious diseases but its pathogenesis remains a clinical enigma. It has been hypothesized that platelet clusters impacting in the distal vasculature mediate the morphological changes of clubbing. Since the multifunctional cytokines vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are released on platelet aggregation and are hypoxically regulated, the present study has examined their role in clubbing using immunohistochemistry. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1), microvessel density, carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha, and HIF..