Immunocompetence of human microvascular brain endothelial cells: cytokine regulation of IL-1beta, MCP-1, IL-10, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1.

Endothelia from the brains of four patients undergoing neurosurgery, including one multiple sclerosis (MS) patient, were studied in vitro to determine cytokine and chemokine production; the release of soluble adhesion molecules was also investigated. The same procedure was repeated on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in order to detect possible district-specific differences. After isolation, the endothelium was cultured and stimulated with gamma-interferon (IFN), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and LPS. The results showed that brain endothelium, in our experimental conditions, does not produce interleukin (IL)-10 and produces lower amounts of IL-1beta and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-(sICAM-1) than HUVECs do; no differences were detected in soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-(sVCAM-1) production. MCP-1 mRNA was detected both without and after stimulation with TNF-alpha and gamma-IFN in HUVECs and MS human brain endothelial cells (HBECs), while in non-MS-HBECs it was found only after gamma-IFN stimulation.