Ethanol inhibits basal and flow-induced vascular smooth muscle cell migration in vitro.
BACKGROUND
Alcohol consumption protects against coronary heart disease by as yet unclear mechanisms. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ethanol on vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.


METHODS
Cultures of human SMC under static (no flow) or pulsatile flow conditions (perfused transcapillary culture system) were pretreated in the absence or presence of ethanol (EtOH) whereupon their random migration (chemokinesis) was assessed by Transwell assay.


RESULTS
Ethanol pretreatment (24 h) dose dependently inhibited migration of HuSMC from static cultures with a maximal inhibition of 60.8 +/- 4.4% observed at 40-80 mM, in the absence of any effect on cell adhesion or cell viability as assessed by trypan blue exclusion. In HuSMC exposed to pulsatile flow (0.3 to 25 ml/min, 24 h), there was a flow-dependent increase in migration ranging from a 1.3 +/- 0.16- to 2.67 +/- 0.26-fold increase, compared to static cells, concomitant with a significant increase in urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) mRNA levels. Ethanol pretreatment (20-80 mM, 24 h) dose dependently inhibited the flow-induced increase in SMC migration but did not affect uPA mRNA expression.


CONCLUSIONS
The inhibitory effect of ethanol on basal and flow-stimulated SMC migration may be relevant to its cardiovascular effects in vivo.
Hendrickson
R J
RJ
Department of Surgery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, 20007, USA.
Okada
S S
SS
Cahill
P A
PA
Yankah
E
E
Sitzmann
J V
JV
Redmond
E M
EM
D001775:Blood Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010477:Perfusion; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000235:genetics
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000431:Ethanol; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator