Chester A H, Borland J A, Taylor P M, Rose M L, Yacoub M H
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Harefield Hospital, Middlesex, UK.
Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 1996;10(8):676-83. doi: 10.1016/s1010-7940(96)80386-1.
The performance of coronary bypass grafts can be affected by a variety of circulating cell types. The initial event in any biological effect of such cells is adherence to the vascular endothelium prior to migration into the perivascular space. We aimed to investigate the expression of molecules that regulate cell adhesion in blood vessels employed as bypass conduits.
Segments of human saphenous vein, internal mammary artery, gastroepiploic artery and inferior epigastric artery were stained using specific monoclonal antibodies against the endothelial workers EN-4, Pal-E, von Willebrand factor small (vWF), and the cell adhesion molecules platelet-endothelium cell adhesion molecule (PECAM), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, the leucocyte marker (CD45) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigens, with visualisation by ABC immunoperoxidase method.
All vessels had a strong expression of the endothelial specific antigens EN4, vWF, and PECAM as well as MHC class I. However, there was less expression of Pal-E, ICAM-1, E-Selectin and of the DR determinant of MHC class II. VCAM-1, DP and DQ determinants of MHC class II were expressed to a weaker extent. There were no marked differences in the expression of all the molecules examined between the four vessel types.
Thus vessels used as bypass grafts are immunogenic and possess the potential to attract and interact with blood elements. Definition of the molecules responsible could offer opportunities for modulating the response to such interactions.
