ICAM-1 Expression in Primary Human Retinal Endothelial Cells Exposed to Lipopolysaccharide (lps) and Cobalt Chloride (cocl2)

Abstract

Purpose:: This study was designed to evaluate the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in primary human retinal endothelial cells exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and chemically induced hypoxic responses by cobalt chloride (CoCl₂).

Methods:: Human retinal endothelial cells (HREC) were exposed to 1 µg/mL of LPS or 100 µM CoCl₂ with or without 1 or 10 µM of SN50, a cell-permeable peptide inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (NFΚB), for 18h. Protein levels of ICAM-1 in the cell lysate were determined by ELISA or Western blotting.

Results:: LPS but not CoCl₂ significantly increased the expression of ICAM-1. SN50 inhibited LPS-stimulated ICAM-1 expression in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusions:: Our data suggest that chemically induced hypoxic responses do not appear to involve ICAM-1 expression in retinal endothelial cells while LPS-stimulated ICAM-1 expression is mediated by the transcriptional factor NFΚB.

Keywords: inflammation • retina • vascular cells