Changes of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Platelet-derived Growth Factor Concentrations in Platelet-rich Plasma After Preparation

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is plasma that contains platelets concentrated by centrifugal separation of a blood specimen. Advances in the practical applications of PRP have enabled regenerative therapies for hard tissue. Blood contains many growth factors. Therefore, to more effectively use PRP in the clinical setting, it is important to evaluate how growth factor levels change after PRP preparation. The objective of the present study was to observe how the concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in PRP change after preparation. PRPs were prepared from 17 healthy consenting male and female subjects aged 25-32 years. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the VEGF and PDGF concentrations at 15, 30, 60, 120 and 1,440 min after PRP preparation. We found that VEGF and PDGF concentrations remained high, and exhibited their highest levels at 24 h after PRP production. This persistence suggests that VEGF and PDGF might remain active in tissue regeneration, even 24 h after PRP is prepared.