The interleukin-6 and vascular endothelial growth factor in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

We studied the correlation between changes in the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) with complications such as acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD), veno-occlusive disease (VOD) or occurrence of infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Serum VEGF and IL-6 levels were sequentially measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) in 35 patients who had undergone HSCT. Serum levels of IL-6 in patients with aGVHD were increased in comparison with patients without aGVHD, but the difference was not statistically significant. Serum levels of VEGF were only increased in patients with aGVHD during the early days after transplantation. No significantly altered levels of IL-6 and VEGF were observed in patients with VOD or sepsis. These results demonstrate that rising levels of VEGF and IL-6 may be good and specific biomarkers for transplant aGVHD.