VEGF to CITED2 ratio predicts the collateral circulation of acute ischemic stroke

Abstract

Objective: The research objective was to evaluate the predicting role of the vascular endothelial growth factor to CBP/P300-interacting transactivator with Glu/Asp-rich C-terminal domain 2 Ratio (VEGF/CITED2) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the collateral circulation of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods: In an observational study of patients with AIS, the western blot was applied to test the protein expression of VEGF and CITED2. Then, we calculated the VEGF/CITED2 and collected other clinical data. Binary logistic regression analysis between collateral circulation and clinical data was performed. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to explore the predictive value of VEGF/CITED2.

Results: A total of 67 patients with AIS were included in the study. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated the VEGF/CITED2 (OR 165.79, 95%CI 7.25-3,791.54, P = 0.001) was an independent protective factor. The ROC analyses showed an area under the ROC curve of the VEGF/CITED2 was 0.861 (95%CI 0.761-0.961). The optimal cutoff value of 1.013 for VEGF/CITED2 had a sensitivity of 89.1% and a specificity of 85.7%.

Conclusion: In patients with AIS, the VEGF/CITED2 was related to the establishment of collateral circulation. The VEGF/CITED2 is a potentially valuable biomarker for predicting collateral circulation.

Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT05345366.

Keywords: AIS; PBMCs; VEGF/CITED2; biomarker; collateral circulation.