Acceleration of chemokine production from endothelial cells in response to lipopolysaccharide in hyperglycemic condition.

UNLABELLED: Chronic hyperglycemia is an established risk factor for endothelial damage. It remains unclear, however, whether brief hyperglycemic episodes after acute stress alter the function of vascular endothelial cells in response to endotoxin. We hypothesize that brief hyperglycemic episodes enhance the production of interleukin-8 (IL-8) after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs; 1 x 10(5) cells/mL, cells from subcultures 2-5, n = 6) were cultivated in various concentrations of glucose (200, 300, 400, and 500 mg/dL) with or without LPS stimulation (1 microg/mL) for 24 hours. After culture, IL-8 levels in the supernatant were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: HUVECs cultured at glucose concentrations of 300 and 400 mg/dL produced more (p < 0.01) IL-8 than control cells (200 mg/dL). HUVECs cultured at glucose concentrations of 300 and 400 mg/dL also produced more (p < 0.01) IL-8 than those cultured in the absence of LPS. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperglycemic conditions enhance IL-8 production by vascular endothelial cells, and this response is augmented by LPS. Infections may foster neutrophil accumulation at injury sites. These results suggest that it is important to manage even short-term increases in blood glucose after acute stress.