Fundamental and Distinct Roles of P-selectin and LFA-1 in Ischemia/reperfusion-induced Leukocyte-endothelium Interactions in the Mouse Colon

Objective: To study the adhesive mechanisms underlying ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced leukocyte-endothelium interactions in the colon.

Summary Background Data: Leukocyte recruitment is a key feature in I/R-induced tissue injury, but the mechanisms regulating leukocyte rolling and adhesion in the colon are not known. The authors recently developed a new model to study the molecular mechanisms of I/R-provoked leukocyte-endothelium interactions in the colon microcirculation using inverted intravital fluorescence microscopy.

Methods: The superior mesenteric artery was occluded for 30 minutes and leukocyte responses were analyzed after 120 minutes of reperfusion in colonic venules in mice. The adhesive mechanisms underlying I/R-induced leukocyte rolling and adhesion were investigated using monoclonal antibodies against L-, E- and P-selectin, and CD11a gene-targeted mice were used to examine the role of lymphocyte function antigen-1 (LFA-1, CD11a/CD18).

Results: Reperfusion provoked a clear-cut increase in leukocyte rolling and adhesion in colonic venules compared to negative controls. Both P- and E-selectin mRNA were expressed in the colon after this I/R insult. Pretreatment with an anti-P-selectin antibody reduced leukocyte rolling and adhesion by 88% and 85%, respectively, whereas antibodies against L- and E-selectin had no effect. Moreover, I/R-induced leukocyte adhesion in LFA-1-deficient mice was reduced by more than 95%.

Conclusions: This study provides evidence that leukocyte rolling is exclusively and nonredundantly mediated by P-selectin and that firm adhesion is supported by LFA-1 in I/R-induced leukocyte recruitment in the colon. Taken together, both P-selectin and LFA-1 may be important targets to control pathologic inflammation in I/R-induced tissue injury in the colon.