The Incremental Prognostic Value of Hepatocyte Growth Factor in First-Ever Acute Ischemic Stroke: An Early Link Between Growth Factor and Interleukins

Abstract

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potential prognostic factor for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). In this study, we sought to validate its earlier predictive accuracy within 24 h for first-ever AIS. Moreover, as HGF interacts with interleukins, their associations may lead to novel immunomodulatory therapeutic strategies. Patients with first-ever AIS (n = 202) within 24 h were recruited. Plasma HGF and related interleukin concentrations were measured by multiplex immunoassays. The primary and secondary outcomes were major disability (modified Rankin scale score ≥3) at 3 months after AIS and death, respectively. Elastic net regression was applied to screen variables associated with stroke outcome; binary multivariable logistic analysis was then used to explore the relationship between HGF level and stroke outcome. After multivariate adjustment, upregulated HGF levels were associated with an increased risk of the primary outcome (odds ratio, 7.606; 95% confidence interval, 3.090–18.726; p < 0.001). Adding HGF to conventional risk factors significantly improved the predictive power for unfavorable outcomes (continuous net reclassification improvement 37.13%, p < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement 8.71%, p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of the traditional model was 0.8896 and reached 0.9210 when HGF was introduced into the model. An elevated HGF level may also be a risk factor for mortality within 3 months poststroke. The HGF level was also positively correlated with IL-10 and IL-16 levels, and HGF before interaction with all interleukins was markedly negatively correlated with the lymphocyte/neutrophil ratio. HGF within 24 h may have prognostic potential for AIS. Our findings reinforce the link between HGF and interleukins.