Evaluation of endothelium loss by in vitro vessel perfusion using millipore filters.

Endothelial loss of isolated rabbit femoral artery and renal artery was evaluated during in vitro vessel perfusion. Desquamated endothelial cells were captured on millipore filters from the perfusion solution outflow of the vessel in 3 intervals lasting 5 minutes each. In the first 5 minutes of perfusion the endothelial loss was 1,289.2 +/- 166.5 cells: in the interval after a 30 minute perfusion 4,967.9 +/- 1,428.3 cells were caught on the filters, 3.9 times more than in the first interval. During and after the 2 minutes air bubble perfusion the endothelial catch was 5.5 times greater as compared to the second interval with the average of 27,473 +/- 6,209.6 cells. The present method of quantification of the endothelial cell loss in the in vitro vessel perfusion experiment makes it possible to obtain informations about the actual state of the endothelial lining and to contribute to more precise evaluation of the modulatory effect of the endothelium on vessel reactivity to pharmacological agents.