Stimulation of endothelin-1 production by thrombin, but lack of interference by high ambient glucose in vitro

Abstract

Baumgartner-Parzer S, Wagner 0, Nowotny P, Vierhapper H, Waldhäusl W. Stimulation of endothelin-1 production by thrombin, but lack of interference by high ambient glucose in vitro. Eur J Endocrinol 1994;130:271–5. ISSN 0804–4643 Diabetic vascular disease is associated with a state of hypercoagulability and altered endothelial properties, leading to elevated plasma levels of endothelium-derived peptides and proteins, e.g. endothelin-1. von Willebrand factor or fibronectin. This study determined dynamic immunoreactive endothelin-1 secretion by human umbilical vein endothelial cells exposed to thrombin (5 × 106 mU/l) in the presence (40 mmol/l) and absence (5.5 mmol/l) of excessive glucose in the cell culture medium. Exposure to high glucose and thrombin concentrations was initiated after cell confluency and applied for 24 h for measurements of endothelin-1 and for 2 and 5 h for the determination of preproendothelin-1, von Willebrand factor and fibronectin messenger ribonucleic acid. Comparisons were made versus cells incubated with normal glucose concentrations or with high mannose or NaCl concentrations as osmotic control. Neither preproendothelin-1, fibronectin and von Willebrand factor messenger ribonucleic acid expression nor endothelin-1 release was affected by high concentrations of glucose, mannose or sodium chloride. Sabina Baumgartner-Parzer, Department of Medicine III, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria