The effect of short-term, high glucose concentration on endothelial cells and leukocytes in a 3D in vitro human vascular tissue model

Efforts to determine a link between diabetes and atherosclerosis have involved examining the effect of high glucose levels on the adhesion and migration of circulating leukocytes, mostly monocytes and T lymphocytes. Leukocyte differentiation and proliferation within the subendothelial space can also be investigated by the use of a 3D in vitro human vascular tissue model. This model was used to study the effect of short-term, high glucose concentration on certain cell behavior associated with the early stages of atherosclerosis. Samples were exposed to either a 30- or 5.6-mM glucose concentration for 9 h to represent either hyperglycemic or normoglycemic conditions, respectively. There was a significant increase in vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression on the endothelial cells exposed to a 30-mM compared to a 5.6-mM glucose concentration. There was no significant difference in either intercellular adhesion molecule-1 or E-selectin expression on the endothelial cells exposed to a 30-mM compared to a 5.6-mM glucose concentration. After the endothelium was exposed to 30 mM glucose concentration, there was a 70% increase in the number of monocytes (CD14(+)) migrating across the endothelium and a 28% increase in the number of these monocytes differentiating into macrophages, compared to cell migration and differentiation across the endothelium exposed to 5.6 mM glucose concentration. Also, for the endothelium exposed to 30 mM glucose concentration, there were nearly 2.5 times more T lymphocytes that migrated across the endothelium, along with significant cell proliferation, compared to cell migration across the endothelium exposed to 5.6 mM glucose concentration.