Adhesion of polymorphonuclear leukocytes to endothelium enhances the efficiency of detoxification of oxygen-free radicals.

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes can produce active oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide and superoxide under various conditions. Because these substances can be toxic to cells, it is possible that the interaction between the circulating leukocytes and the blood vessel wall, either in normal circulation or during the acute inflammatory response, could damage the endothelial lining. Using an in vitro system of cultured endothelial cells and isolated polymorphonuclear leukocytes, we have measured the levels of detectable superoxide when neutrophils are attached to either endothelial monolayers or to plastic. Our results show that the levels of superoxide, on a per-cell basis, are lower when the neutrophils are attached to endothelium than when attached to plastic, even if the neutrophils are stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate. This is also reflected in data showing that no injury occurs to the endothelial cells, as measured by 51Cr release, under these same conditions. When endothelial cells are pretreated with an inhibitor of superoxide dismutase, diethyldithiocarbamate, the levels of superoxide detected are the same for neutrophils stimulated on plastic and those on the endothelial monolayer, suggesting that endothelial superoxide dismutase may remove a portion of the neutrophil-generated superoxide from the detection system. Further evidence for the role of endothelium in destroying superoxide is suggested by results that show that the level of detectable superoxide released from neutrophils attached to formalin-fixed endothelial monolayers is the same as that for neutrophils attached to plastic. It is important to note that with the inhibitor of superoxide dismutase present, the endothelial monolayers do not display enhanced 51Cr release under the conditions employed. When both endothelial catalase and glutathione reductase are inhibited, we detect increased 51Cr release from endothelial cells in response to stimulated neutrophils. Our results show that the endothelial cells are important in affecting the apparent reduction of toxic oxygen products derived from polymorphonuclear leukocytes attached to their surface.