Lidocaine attenuates cytokine-induced cell injury in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells.

UNLABELLED: Local anesthetics have been reported to attenuate the inflammatory response and ischemia/reperfusion injury. Therefore, we hypothesized that pretreatment with local anesthetics may protect endothelial and vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells from cytokine-induced injury. Human microvascular endothelial cells and rat VSM cells were pretreated with lidocaine or tetracaine (5-100 microM for 30 min) and then exposed to the cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma, and interleukin-1beta for 72 h. Cell survival and integrity were evaluated by trypan blue exclusion and lactate dehydrogenase release. The role of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels, protein kinase C, or both in modulating local anesthetic-induced protection was evaluated with the mitochondrial KATP antagonist 5-hydroxydecanoate, the cell-surface KATP antagonist 1-[5-[2-(5-chloro-o-anisamido)ethyl]-2-methoxyphenyl]sulfonyl-3-methylthiourea (HMR-1098), and the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine. Lidocaine attenuated cytokine-induced cell injury in a dose-dependent manner. Lidocaine (5 microM) increased cell survival by approximately 10%, whereas lidocaine (100 microM) increased cell survival by approximately 60% and induced a threefold decrease in lactate dehydrogenase release in both cell types. In contrast, tetracaine did not attenuate cytokine-induced cell injury. 5-hydroxydecanoate abolished the protective effects of lidocaine, but staurosporine and HMR-1098 had no effect on the lidocaine-induced protection. This study showed that lidocaine, but not tetracaine, attenuates cytokine-induced injury in endothelial and VSM cells. Lidocaine-induced protection appears to be modulated by mitochondrial KATP channels. IMPLICATIONS: This study demonstrates that lidocaine attenuates cytokine-induced injury of endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells via mechanisms involving adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channels. Protection of the vasculature from cytokine-induced inflammation may preserve important physiological endothelial and vascular smooth muscle functions.