Sera of patients with thromboangiitis obliterans activated cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and changed their adhesive properties.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) sera on activation of primary cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model for vascular endothelial cells.


METHODS
Study subjects included 21 TAO patients as the case group and 20 healthy smokers and 17 healthy non-smokers as control groups. Case and control groups were matched based on their age, socioeconomic status and smoking habit. HUVECs were incubated with the sera of case and control groups and gene expression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) and vascular adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction, TaqMan method.


RESULTS
The expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were significantly higher in HUVECs after incubation with TAO sera compared to control groups (P < 0.05). VCAM-1 had a significant correlation with duration of smoking (P < 0.001, R = 0.672), while the expression of ICAM-1 had a significant correlation with the number of cigarettes smoked daily (P = 0.04, R = 0.421).


CONCLUSIONS
Sera from TAO patients could activate HUVECs. This same activation might occur in vivo by the responsible cytokines, in particular those released from activated platelets, free oxygen radicals, and possibly low levels of nitric oxide (NO) of the sera of TAO patients, as a consequences of chronic cigarette smoking and of endothelial NO synthase polymorphism. Therefore, plasma exchange might be helpful in acute phase of the disease for saving the limbs and administration the combinations of exogenous NO with anti-oxidants might be helpful in long-term management of TAO patients to reduce the risk and rate of amputation.
Immunology Department, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Bahare
B
Fazeli
Houshang
H
Rafatpanah
Hassan
H
Ravari
Reza
R
Farid Hosseini
Jalil
J
Tavakol Afshari
Dariush
D
Hamidi Alamdari
Narges
N
Valizadeh
Nasrin
N
Moheghi
S A Rahim
SA
Rezaee
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D061251:Primary Cell Culture; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013919:Thromboangiitis Obliterans / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015854:Up-Regulation; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
C573420:ICAM1 protein, human; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1
ICAM-1; VCAM-1; endothelial cell; inflammation; peripheral arterial disease; thromboangiitis obliterans; vasculitis