Abstract: Objective To investigate the correlation of the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) with airway inflammation and lung function in children with different degrees of bronchial asthma, in order to provide a reference for early clinical assessment and development of intervention plans. 
Methods A total of 80 children with bronchial asthma were selected for the study, including 44 with mild and 36 with moderate-to-severe bronchial asthma.  Clinical data, lung function ［peak expiratory flow rate (PEF), forced expiratory volume within 1 second (FEV1), FEV1 as a percentage of expected value (FEV1%)］, sputum airway inflammatory markers ［interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)］, VEGF and ET-1 levels were recorded, to analyse the correlation of VEGF and ET-1 levels with airway inflammation and lung function, their impact on the condition of children with bronchial asthma and their value in disease evaluation. 
Results There were significant differences in pulmonary function indexes (FEV1, FEV1%, PEF), airway inflammation indexes (sputum IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α) and serum levels of VEGF and ET-1 in children with different disease severity (P＜0.05). In children with bronchial asthma, serum VEGF and ET-1 were negatively correlated with lung function indexes FEV1, FEV1%, PEF and sputum airway inflammation index IL-10 (P＜0.05), but positively correlated with sputum airway inflammation indexes IL-6 and TNF-α (P＜0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) value of the combined assessment of VEGF and ET-1 was 0.912, which was higher than that of single index detection. When VEGF and ET-1 levels were high in children with bronchial asthma, the risk of disease exacerbation was 2.922 times (95%CI: 1.678-5.089) and 2.641 times (95%CI: 1.514-4.608) of those with low levels respectively. Results of Logistic regression analysis showed that VEGF and ET-1 were risk factors for exacerbation of the severity of bronchial asthma (P＜0.05). VEGF and ET-1 have positive additive interaction in the risk of exacerbation in children with bronchial asthma, and the effect was enhanced when both are present simultaneously. 
Conclusion VEGF and ET-1 are significantly correlated with airway inflammation and lung function in children with bronchial asthma. The changes in their levels can be used for early assessment of the disease, so as to carry out targeted follow-up treatment and improve the prognosis. 

Key words: asthma, vascular endothelial growth factor, endothelin-1