A factor in serum lowers resistance and opens tight junctions of MDCK cells

During an inflammatory reaction, factors in blood affect the permeability of endothelium and possibly organ epithelium. In this study we partially characterized a factor in human and canine blood that lowered the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) of canine kidney epithelial cells (MDCK) and examined whether vascular permeability factors [complement component C3a and C5a and platelet-activating factor (PAF)] were responsible for this reaction. C3a and C5a caused a small (10-13%) dose-related decrease in the TER (alpha = 0.05), whereas PAF had no effect. In contrast, the factor found in both serum and plasma caused a large (60-83%) dose-dependent decrease (saturated at 30%) in the TER that was reversible within 60 min. The blood factor, which does not appear to be albumin, was heat stable and has an apparent molecular mass of 67 kDa. It preferentially decreased the TER of the epithelium when it came in contact with its basolateral surface and significantly lowered the resistance within 60 min by opening the zonula occludentes. These findings suggest that C3a, C5a, and a factor in blood can directly modulate the permeability of renal epithelium.