Expression of inflammation related factors iNOS and ICAM-1 in endothelial cells induced by C-reactive protein

Objective To investigate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) in endothelial cells induced by C-reactive protein(CRP) and its corresponding mechanisms.Methods Human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells(HUVEC) were treated with different concentrations of CRP or with phosphate buffered solution as control,and RT-PCR was used for measurement of the expression of ICAM-1 mRNA induced by CRP in HUVECs.HUVEC were treated with CRP of 1mg/L,5mg/L,20mg/L,or with phosphate buffered solution,and expressions of ICAM-1 and iNOS protein in HUVECs were detected by cellular enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results In groups of 1mg/L,5mg/L and 10mg/L CRP,no different effects on expression of ICAM-1 mRNA in HUVECs was found when compared with control group,whereas the expression of ICAM-1 mRNA was elevated in the group of 20mg/L CRP by 1.48 folds compared with that in control group.Similarly,in groups of 1mg/L and 5mg/L CRP there was no significant difference in the expressions of ICAM-1 and iNOS in HUVECs compared with that in control group(P > 0.05),whereas the expressions of ICAM-1 and iNOS protein were increased significantly in group of 20mg/L CRP compared with that in other groups(P< 0.01).Conclusions Although CRP may induce the expression of inflammatory factors in endothelial cells,the present experioment showed that CRP had no significant effects on inflammatory factors in endothelial cells at normal physiological level,and it gave inducible effects at higher concentration(20mg/L) only.