Table 2.
Comparison of the circulating level of VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and PlGF in patients with abnormal and normal arteriosclerosis-associated plasma indices (API, AI, AIP).
| Cytokines | VEGF-A (pg/ml) | VEGF-C (pg/ml) | VEGF-D (pg/ml) | PIGF (pg/ml) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| API | |||||
| Normal API group | 22.45 (14.59–32.91) | 80.58 (36.06–127.49) | 154.1 (71.78–274.36) | 2.13 ± 1.32 | |
| Abnormal API group | 24.85 (18.24–34.29) | 90.86 (53.81–182.03) | 255.58 (147.91–400.44) | 2.54 ± 1.28 | |
| t/z | −1.25c | −1.54c | −2.61c | −1.63b | |
| P-value | 0.211 | 0.124 | 0.009* | 0.106 | |
| AI | |||||
| Normal AI group | 22.77 (15.35–31.86) | 80.58 (37.28–127.49) | 179.77 (72.09–280.18) | 2.16 ± 1.26 | |
| Abnormal AI group | 26.8 (18.24–35.72) | 101.57 (53.81–187.19) | 255.59 (147.91–400.45) | 2.59 ± 1.32 | |
| t/z | −1.70c | −1.85c | −2.40c | −1.76b | |
| P-value | 0.09 | 0.064 | 0.016* | 0.081 | |
| AIP | |||||
| Normal AIP group | 23.08 (17.63–32.30) | 82.65 (38.17–145.62) | 192.47 (83.52–286.23) | 2.25 ± 1.28 | |
| Abnormal AIP group | 24.85 (17.63–34.53) | 99.82 (51.41–175.89) | 252.01 (137.00–389.96) | 2.50 ± 1.33 | |
| t/z | −0.94c | −1.15c | −1.60c | −1.01b | |
| P-value | 0.346 | 0.249 | 0.111 | 0.316 |
*
Statistically significant: P ≤ 0.05. According to the type of data and the data distribution,
a
Kruskal-Wallis test,
b
independent-sample t-test, and
c
Mann-Whitney U-test were applied. VEGF, vascular endothelial growth; PlGF, placental growth factor; DM, diabetes mellitus; NPDR, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy; PDR, proliferative diabetic retinopathy; API, atherogenic plasma index (LDL-C/HDL-C); AI, atherogenic index: (TC-(LDL-C))/HDL-C; AIP, atherogenic index of plasma: log (TG/HDL-C).