Expression of macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha in the endothelial cells exposed to diamide

In order to study whether the endothelial cells (ECs) with lipid peroxidation induced by diamide can express and secrete macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha), the expression of MIP-1 alpha protein in the cells was detected by cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and that of MIP-1 alpha mRNA was determined by cell in situ hybridization and nuclease S1 protection assay after the ECs were exposed to different concentrations of diamide for 4 h. The chemotactic activity of MIP-1 alpha was tested by micropore filter method using modified Boyden chambers. Cell ELISA showed that the expression of MIP-1 alpha protein in endothelial cells exposed to 1 mumol/L, 5 mumol/L and 10 mumol/L diamide was 1.9-fold, 2.3-fold and 1.7-fold respectively as much as that in the control cells, which was statistically significant by analysis of variance. In situ hybridization revealed that the mRNA expression of ECs treated with 1 mumol/L, 5 mumol/L and 10 mumol/L diamide was 1.3-fold, 3.0-fold and 1.7-fold as much as that in the control group, which had statistical significance (F = 188.93, P < 0.01). The mRNA expression in 5 mumol/L dimide treated ECs, measured by nuclease S1 protection assay, was 3.4-fold as much as that in the control group (t = 8.70, P < 0.05). Chemotactic response(99.50 +/- 4.31 microns) to the culture medium conditioned by 5 mumol/L diamide treated ECs, which was stronger than that(66.47 +/- 3.25 microns) conditioned by the ECs (F = 404.31, P < 0.05), was significantly decreased (F = 192.25, P < 0.05) after adding MIP-1 alpha antibody. It suggests that diamide, a lipid peroxidation inducer, could stimulate ECs to produce high level of MIP-1 alpha, and might play an important role in atherogenesis by promoting the migration of peripheral blood monocytes into arterial intima.