DISTRIBUTION OF INTERCELLULAR-ADHESION MOLECULE-1 ON LEUKOCYTES AND CORNEAL ENDOTHELIUM AFTER ENDOTOXIN STIMULATION IN RATS

After stimulation with Salmonella typhimurium endotoxin, the intercell ular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was studied on the corneal endotheli um and associated leukocytes in rats using immunoscanning electron mic roscopy. Two hundred mu g of the endotoxin was injected in Lewis rats. The corneae were excised at 0-h and 16-h-postinjection time (n = 5, r espectively). The corneae were prepared in hypothermic University of W isconsin (UW) solution for immunoscanning electron microscopy. Histoto pographical examination visualized ICAM-1 antigen on cytoplasmic proce sses of the corneal endothelium, arranged along microfolds, especially at the peaks. In the leukocytes, ICAM-1 was located primarily in morp hologically non-specialized domains of the cell body surface, and only rarely scattered on the surface of microvillar projections. We conclu ded that the endotoxin stimulation can increase ICAM-1 in both corneal endothelium and associated leukocytes. Increased ICAM-1 may be an imp ortant factor for the leukocytes to form clustering and adhering to th e corneal endothelium.