In Vitro Model of Platelet-Endothelial Activation Due to Cigarette Smoke Under Cardiovascular Circulation Conditions

• Published in: Annals of biomedical engineering Vol. 36; no. 7; pp. 1142 - 1151
• Main Authors: Girdhar, Gaurav, Xu, Sulan, Jesty, Jolyon, Bluestein, Danny
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.07.2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biomedicine; Biophysics; Blood Flow Velocity - physiology; Blood Pressure - physiology; Cadherins - metabolism; Cells, Cultured; Classical Mechanics; Endothelial Cells - drug effects; Endothelial Cells - physiology; Humans; Mechanotransduction, Cellular - drug effects; Mechanotransduction, Cellular - physiology; Nicotine; Nicotine - pharmacology; Physiology; Platelet Activation - drug effects; Platelet Activation - physiology; Shear stress; Smoke; Tars - pharmacology; Viscometers; Couette; Inflammation; Cardiovascular diseases; Nicotine; Cone and plate
• ISSN: 0090-6964; 1573-9686
• DOI: 10.1007/s10439-008-9503-2

Cigarette smoke has been shown to increase platelet activation and endothelial cell (EC) adhesion molecule expression. In the present study, we utilized a hemodynamic shearing device (HSD) to investigate the above effects in vitro in a combined system of platelets and cultured HUVECs (Human Umblical Vein ECs) under physiological shear stress. We investigated the alteration of E-selectin expression on ECs upon exposure to: (1) platelets and nicotine-free smoke extract (NFE), (2) platelets alone, (3) NFE alone, under physiological shear stress. We additionally confirmed the protective effect of nicotine on platelet activation. We found that: (i) surface expression of E-selectin on ECs was significantly increased upon simultaneous exposure of ECs and platelets to NFE relative to exposure of ECs to either platelets or NFE alone ( p  < 0.05). (ii) Platelet activation was significantly increased in the presence of NFE ( p  < 0.05). (iii) Nicotine (200 nM) when added to NFE, significantly reduced platelet activation due to NFE ( p  < 0.05), an effect additionally confirmed by conventional cigarette extracts which contain nicotine ( p  < 0.05). We therefore conclude that: (a) NFE and platelets additively increase EC E-selectin surface expression, and (b) nicotine modulates platelet activation regardless of ECs.