The Effect of Homocysteine on Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 mRNA Expression in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

Objective:To investigate the effect of homocysteine (Hcy) on the transcription of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1)mRNA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC,CRL-1730). Methods:The HUVEC CRL-1730 were cultured with 1.0 mmol/L Hcy at different concentrations (physiological concentration 0.01 mmol/L,pathophysiological concentration 0.1 mmol/L,pharmacological noncytotoxic concentration 1.0 mmol/L and pharmacological cytotoxic concentration 5.0 mmol/L) for 6 h,and with 1.0 mmol/L Hcy in different times (1 h,6h and 24 h). The cells were collected to isolate the total RNA,and then RT-PCR was performed. Results:There were significant differences in expression of MCP-1 mRNA in CRL-1730 treated with gradually increased concentrations of Hcy (P 0.05). The expression of MCP-1 mRNA induced by 1.0 mmol/L Hcy was down regulated in a time-dependent fashion. Conclusion:The expression of MCP-1 mRNA was affected by homocysteine. The results suggested that homocysteine may contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis by upregulating MCP-1 expression and promoting leukocyte recruitment.