COMPARATIVE-STUDIES ON VASCULAR ENDOTHELIUM IN-VITRO .1. CYTOKINE EFFECTS ON THE EXPRESSION OF ADHESION MOLECULES BY HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN, SAPHENOUS-VEIN AND FEMORAL-ARTERY ENDOTHELIAL-CELLS

Endothelial cells (ECs) are very responsive to proinflammatory cytokin es. ECs are stimulated by these substances to increase expression of c ell surface adhesion molecules, leading to dramatically altered intera ctions with leukocytes. In these interactions, E-selectin, intercellul ar adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are suggested to play the most important role. Recent evidenc e has suggested diversity in the responses of ECs from different regio ns of the vascular system. Human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) are the m ost often used EC culture model, although there are few studies compar ing their response with other human EC types from the adult organism. In this study the expression of E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 on cultu red human adult ECs from the saphenous vein (HSVECs) and from the femo ral artery (HAFECs), as well as HUVECs was studied. Using a cell enzym e immunoassay as well as immunoelectron microscopical methods, we foun d that both HSVECs and HAFECs respond in a similar way to HUVECs to ex ogenous stimulation by IL-1 beta, TNF alpha or LPS. IL-1 beta and TNF alpha increased the expression of E-selectin on the cytoplasmic membra nes of HUVECs, HSVECs and HAFECs and elicited even similar absolute qu antities of this molecule, comparing the different cell types. ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 appeared to be regulated dose dependently by IL-1 beta, ind ependent of the EC type. HUVECs as well as HSVECs and HAFECs gave a re producible constitutive ICAM-1 expression, whereas E-selectin and VCAM -1 were absent on nonstimulated ECs. These data indicate that HUVEC is a relevant model to study the expression of adhesion molecules.