The effect of fibrin on cultured vascular endothelial cells.
The normal cobblestone monolayer architecture of cultured vascular endothelium becomes rapidly disorganized after contact of the cell layer with a fibrin clot. The cells of a confluent endothelial monolayer separate into individual migratory cells in 4--6 hr after contact with fibrin. The effect is reversible in that removal of the fibrin clot results in resumption of the normal morphology within about 2 hr. No other cell type tested exhibits the same change in organization when exposed to fibrin. A similar morphological change in endothelium does occur after the cell layer is overlaid with a collagen fibril gel but a gel of methylcellulose has no effect. It is proposed that the change in behavior of endothelial cells in response to contact with fibrin may represent a cellular component of fibrinolysis. The implications of this finding for the pathophysiology of disease states involving intravascular fibrin deposition are discussed.
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta; D002417:Cattle; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004727:Endothelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D005337:Fibrin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009040:Motion Pictures; D013997:Time Factors
D005337:Fibrin