LDL enhances monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells in vitro

Monocyte adhesion to the arterial endothelium is an early event in diet-induced atherogenesis. The possibility that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) may influence this adhesion was investigated by using an in vitro monolayer collection assay. Postprandial and fasting LDL was isolated from 12 normal adult human donors (8 male and 4 female) and incubated with primary cultures of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) for 6 hours. 51Cr-labeled mononuclear leukocytes (MNLs) were then added and incubated an additional 30 minutes. When results were expressed as the ratio of adherent counts per minute in LDL-treated BAEC cultures to that in PBS-treated controls, 10 of the 16 LDL samples isolated from male donors induced a significant increase (P less than 0.05) in MNL adhesion (1.06-1.27) attributable to esterase-positive cells. This increase was dose-dependent and maximal at 100 micrograms LDL protein/ml. The magnitude of the response was significantly correlated with LDL composition (r = 0.857, P less than 0.01) such that LDL rich in cholesterol and triglyceride relative to protein enhanced MNL adhesion, whereas lipid-poor LDL (typically isolated from the women) reduced adhesion.