Leukocyte-endothelial adhesion is impaired in the cremaster muscle microcirculation of the copper-deficient rat

Dietary copper deficiency impairs the function of both the vascular endothe lium and circulating leukocytes. In the current study, leukocyte-endotheliu m adhesion was observed in the in vivo cremaster muscle microcirculation of copper-adequate and copper-deficient rats. Male, weanling Sprague-Dawley r ats were fed purified diets that were either adequate (5.6 mug/g) or defici ent (0.3 mug/g) in copper. Adhesion was stimulated with the inflammatory me diators tumor necrosis factor-alpha and bradykinin, and the chemotactic pep tide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine Intravascular adhesion of leuk ocytes to the vascular endothelium was significantly attenuated in the copp er-deficient group in response to all three agonists. These results occurre d without any difference in intravascular wall shear rate between the dieta ry groups. Based on previous work, we propose that the attenuated response is caused by either decreased expression of adhesion molecules on leukocyte s and endothelial cells or by inhibition of the endothelial cell calcium si gnaling associated with copper deficiency. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.