Endothelin-1 release from cultured endothelial cells induced by sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
To clarify the pathophysiological role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the vascular injury associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by investigating the effect of sera from patients with SLE on ET-1 release from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells.


METHODS
Confluent monolayers of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells were incubated with serum samples (diluted 1:10) from 25 patients with SLE and 16 normal controls for two hours at 37 degrees C and ET-1 concentration in the culture supernatant was measured by enzyme immunoassay.


RESULTS
The mean release of ET-1 from endothelial cells in the presence of serum from SLE patients was greater than in the presence of serum from normal controls (p < 0.005). ET-1 release from endothelial cells significantly correlated with the titre of IgM anti-endothelial cell antibodies (IgM-AECA) and immune complex concentration in sera from SLE patients (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). After gel chromatography of the serum from an SLE patient, those fractions containing IgM-AECA or immune complex were shown to stimulate ET-1 release from endothelial cells. Heat aggregated IgG also stimulated ET-1 release from endothelial cells in a concentration dependent manner.


CONCLUSIONS
IgM-AECA and immune complexes may stimulate ET-1 release from endothelial cells and ET-1 may play an important role in the initiation and development of vascular injury, such as pulmonary hypertension and lupus nephritis, in SLE.
Yoshio
T
T
Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi-ken, Japan.
Masuyama
J
J
Mimori
A
A
Takeda
A
A
Minota
S
S
Kano
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin / Q000032:analysis; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D016232:Endothelins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000473:pathology
D000906:Antibodies; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D016232:Endothelins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G