BoneKEy Reports | BoneKEy Watch
Changing levels of four key growth factors after a long bone fracture
DOI:10.1038/bonekey.2013.53
A preliminary study by Pountos et al. investigated the growth factors present in the circulation of 15 patients who needed surgery to repair a fractured tibia or femur. Levels of four growth factors were compared to those measured in 10 healthy volunteers.
ELISA analysis at various time points after fracture and then following surgery revealed that levels of platelet-derived growth factor, insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I), and transforming growth factor β1 all fell during the first 72 h after fracture, with levels dipping below those measured in the control group. Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) did not alter.
Circulating levels of all four growth factors then increased, with the highest levels observed on day 7 after surgery to stabilize the fracture. For example, VEGF levels were 4.4 times higher at day 7 compared to the day of admission (P<0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.3–5.7); IGF-I levels were 2.3 times higher (P=0.001, 95% CI: 1.6–3). The individual kinetics of changes in the levels of all growth factors were unrelated to age, sex or injury severity score.
Editor’s comment: Growth factors in the circulation increase in the week after fracture, but no differences were found relating to sex, age or trauma level. The clinical utility of these measurements is still to be elucidated.
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