AJP - Cell Physiology, Vol 258, Issue 4 C639-C647, Copyright © 1990 by American Physiological Society
Comparison of leukotriene B4-induced neutrophil migration through different cellular barriers
T. B. Casale and M. K. Abbas
Department of Internal Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa.
Migration of neutrophils across epithelial or endothelial barriers in
response to chemotactic stimuli occurs in inflammation and host defense.
Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) may be synthesized by and certainly induces
chemotaxis of neutrophils. To better understand the interaction between
LTB4, neutrophils, and endothelium and epithelium, we compared the effects
of LTB4 on human peripheral blood neutrophil migration through filters
alone and on human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cells and three
different epithelial cell types, Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells,
human colon carcinoma (T84) cells, and rat type II alveolar cells, cultured
on these filters. Significant LTB4-stimulated neutrophil migration occurred
at the lowest (1 nM) dose and in the shortest period of time (15 min)
across endothelial cells vs. all three epithelial cell types, and
interestingly, vs. filters alone. Dose-response experiments (1-100 nM)
indicated that at equimolar LTB4 concentrations neutrophil migration across
endothelium was two- to threefold greater than that observed across filters
alone and the three epithelial barriers. At higher LTB4 concentrations (100
nM), the degree of neutrophil migration through the three epithelial
barriers was equivalent to that observed for filters alone. Overall, the
data indicate that the various cellular barriers play an active role in
inflammatory processes by regulating the transmigration of neutrophils in
response to certain inflammatory chemotactic stimuli.
