The Effect of Interval Hypoxic Hypoxia on the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Concentrations in the Peripheral Blood

We studied the effect of a 14-day course of interval hypoxic hypoxia (IHH) on the concentration in the blood of healthy subjects of the vascular endothelial growth factor (vEGF) and the basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), which regulate endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis. The IHH course was carried out using a BIO-NOVA 204 plant for modeling hypoxic conditions. IHH resulted in a twofold increase in vEGF 24 h after its application; this was followed by a decrease in vEGF to the initial level 48 h after IHH, a subsequent increase by 40% 72 h after IHH, and normalization to the initial level by day 14. The concentration of bFGF increased by 21% 24 h after IHH and gradually decreased to the initial level by day 14. During the initial 24–72 h, changes in the concentration of both factors positively correlated with the dynamics of oxidative stress markers, such as total prooxidative activity and plasma concentration of thiobarbituric acid–reactive species. It is assumed that IHH increases the vEGF content owing to induction of its biosynthesis by reactive oxygen species. Therefore, it is promising to examine the effect of IHH on the morphofunctional parameters of endothelium.