Effects of normal and sickle erythrocytes on prostacyclin release by perfused human umbilical cord veins.

We compared the effects of normal (AA) and sickle (SS) erythrocytes (RBC) on endothelial cell release of prostacyclin by perfused human umbilical cord veins. Two equal-length segments of fresh umbilical cords were perfused first with serum-free Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) to establish the basal prostacyclin production rate for each segment; then one segment was perfused with SS RBC and/or plasma, while the other segment was simultaneously perfused with AA RBC and/or plasma. Aliquots of perfusate were removed at intervals for measurement of the stable prostacyclin metabolite 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF). Basal prostacyclin production by segments from the same cord was very similar, but it varied considerably among segments from different cords. Therefore, the ratio of prostacyclin release with RBC and/or plasma to basal prostacyclin release for each segment was used to compare prostacyclin release among segments from different cords. Mean prostacyclin release was significantly higher from segments perfused with SS RBC in autologous plasma than from segments perfused with AA RBC in autologous plasma at 15, 30, and 60 min. However, no significant differences in mean prostacyclin production were observed between segments perfused with SS vs. AA RBC in DMEM or between segments perfused with SS vs. AA plasma alone. No significant correlations were observed between prostacyclin production and either the viscosity of SS and AA RBC in autologous plasma or DMEM or the adhesiveness of SS and AA RBC to cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. We conclude that SS RBC in autologous plasma cause increased prostacyclin release from perfused human umbilical cord veins. The perfused human umbilical cord vein system may be a useful model for comparing the response of vascular endothelium to SS and AA RBC and plasma under controlled-flow conditions.