Oxidant stress causes alteration in the attachment of mononuclear cells to collagen

The effect of oxidant stress on the attachment of blood mononuclear cells to collagen was investigated. Study of the kinetics of attachment of mononuclear cells pretreated with 0.2% H2O2 for 10' showed significantly lower attachment to collagen I substrata when compared to untreated controls. Reduced glutathione at 2.5mM concentration partially reversed the H2O2 induced alteration in attachment. Pretreatment with H2O2 caused a reduction in the number of free thiol groups both at the cell surface and intracellular sites. Changes in cell surface free thiol groups could be reversed by reduced glutathione. These results point to the importance of a stable redox status in the cellular environment for normal interaction of mononuclear cells with extracellular matrix components.