Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2026
09:41
Quantification of Monocyte Transmigration and Foam Cell Formation from Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions
Published on: October 17, 2017
Pulsatile flow regulates monocyte adhesion to oxidized lipid-induced endothelial cells
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, UCLA School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Los Angeles, California, USA. thsiai@mednet.ucla.edu
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
|November 10, 2001
Summary
Pulsatile flow
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular biology
- Biophysics
- Endothelial cell research
Background:
- Oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (ox-PAPC) promotes monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells.
- The role of shear stress slew rates in this process is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how shear stress slew rates regulate monocyte binding to endothelial cells treated with ox-PAPC.
- To determine the effect of different flow patterns on monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression.
Main Methods:
- Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) treated with ox-PAPC were exposed to controlled shear stress conditions: high slew rate, low slew rate, and oscillating flow.
- Monocyte binding assays were performed.
- Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA expression was quantified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
Main Results:
- High shear stress slew rates significantly reduced monocyte binding by 64%, while low slew rates reduced binding by 31%.
- Oscillating flow increased monocyte binding by 22%.
- High and low shear stress slew rates downregulated MCP-1 expression, whereas oscillating flow upregulated it.
Conclusions:
- Shear stress slew rates play a critical role in regulating monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells.
- These flow dynamics modulate MCP-1 expression, influencing monocyte recruitment in vascular conditions.
