MONOCYTE ADHESION TO CEREBROMICROVASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL-CELLS DERIVED FROM HYPERTENSIVE AND NORMOTENSIVE RATS

The stroke risk factor hypertension may function as a predisposing agent by increasing the vulnerability of blood vessels to thrombosis or hemorrhage. The research here demonstrates that cerebrovascular endothelial cells (EC) from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto normotensive (WKY) rats exhibit similar levels of adhesiveness for syngeneic peripheral blood monocytes (e.g., 22.53 +/- 1.32 and 24.35 +/- 1.16%, respectively). Monocyte adhesion to SHR EC was dramatically increased by treatment of EC with lipopolysaccharide, interferon-gamma, or interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (e.g., 106, 68, and 171%, respectively). Identical treatment of WKY EC also increased adhesion albeit at significantly lower levels than observed on concomitantly tested SHR EC (e.g., 47.8, 12.7, and 60.7%, respectively). Allogeneic combinations of monocytes and EC again demonstrated significantly more upregulation of adhesion by treatment of SHR EC than WKY EC. Characterization of these adhesive interactions revealed the interplay of adhesion pathways, which include lymphocyte functional antigen-1/intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), Mac-1/ICAM-1, and very late activation antigen-4/vascular adhesion molecule-1 as well as other undetermined mechanisms. In summary, these findings indicate hypertension may enhance responsiveness of endothelium to factors that promote monocyte adhesion.