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A central mechanism of inflammation is the activation of vascular endothelium by the inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-1. These cytokines induce the expression of adhesion molecules, the elaboration of chemokines, and the transendothelial migration of white cells. TGF-beta 1 has anti-inflammatory properties, is expressed in the vessel wall, and has previously been shown to inhibit leukocyte adhesiveness to the endothelium at least in part by inhibiting the expression of E-selectin. We now show that TGF-beta 1 also inhibits the migration of neutrophils through endothelial monolayers activated by TNF-alpha. At a dose of 10 U/ml TNF-alpha, the transmigration of neutrophils was inhibited 42.7 +/- 7.9% (n = 8) by 0.2 ng/ml TGF-beta 1. Furthermore, TGF-beta 1 inhibited, in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, the elaboration of IL-8 by TNF-activated endothelial cells by between 33 and 78% (TNF doses from 100 down to 0.1 U/ml) and the elaboration of mRNA for IL-8 by 69%. TGF-beta 1 treatment did not significantly alter the TNF-induced IL-8 mRNA stability, suggesting that the mechanism of action of TGF-beta 1 is on gene transcription. Neutrophil transmigration through cytokine-activated endothelium involves both IL-8-dependent and IL-8-independent mechanisms. Using an anti-IL-8 Ab, we show that TGF-beta 1 inhibits only the IL-8-dependent pathway, but does not affect the IL-8-independent transendothelial migration mechanism. These and our previous results show that TGF-beta1, achieves its anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting the expression of at least two genes, E-selectin and IL-8, which are essential in the inflammatory pathway.

Granulocyte-macrophage and granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (GM-CSF and G-CSF) have proinflammatory effects on mature neutrophils. Both factors have been reported to cause neutrophil chemotaxis and are produced by cells stimulated by inflammatory mediators, including endothelial cells. We therefore tested the hypothesis that these factors might mediate neutrophil transendothelial migration, either by forming a gradient across the endothelial monolayer or through the production of CSFs by activated endothelium. Studies of neutrophil migration across filters without endothelium showed that migration was promoted in the presence of a gradient of either CSF, but was equally promoted against the gradient; that is, the CSFs are chemokinetic but not chemotactic. The CSFs promoted migration of neutrophils across endothelial monolayers cultured on filters, but the magnitude of this effect was very small compared with that of a prototypic neutrophil chemoattractant, interleukin-8 (IL-8) (migration index [stimulated/unstimulated] 1.8-fold for GM-CSF, 10.8-fold for IL-8). Activation of endothelial monolayers by preincubation with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) increased neutrophil transmigration significantly; neutralizing antibodies to IL-8 inhibited this increase by 44%, whereas neutralizing anti-GM-CSF antibodies did not inhibit it. These data suggest little role for the CSFs in neutrophil diapedesis at inflammatory sites in vivo. Exposure of neutrophils to GM-CSF decreased their migration through TNF-activated monolayers, whereas G-CSF did not. This may have implications for the therapeutic administration of these factors.

Interleukin (IL)-3 stimulates hemopoiesis in vitro. However, IL-3 is not normally found in bone marrow, raising doubts as to the in vivo role of IL-3. We have found that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) express functional high-affinity receptors for IL-3 after stimulation with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-1 beta, or lipopolysaccharide, and that this receptor is involved in inflammatory phenomena. TNF-alpha caused time- and dose-dependent up-regulation of mRNA for the IL-3 receptor alpha and beta chains, with maximal effects occurring 16-36 h after stimulation with TNF-alpha at 100 units/ml. Induction of mRNA correlated with protein expression on the cell surface as judged by monoclonal antibody staining and by the ability of HUVEC to specifically bind 125I-labeled IL-3. Scatchard analysis under optimal conditions of TNF-alpha stimulation revealed approximately 1500 IL-3 receptors per cell, which were of a high-affinity class (Kd = 500 pM) only. In contrast to a previous report, receptors for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor could not be detected. IL-3 binding to TNF-alpha-activated HUVEC enhanced IL-8 production, E-selection expression, and neutrophil transmigration. The selective induction of a functional IL-3 receptor on endothelial cells suggests that, beyond hemopoiesis, IL-3 may have an important role in chronic inflammation and in allergic diseases.

We have recently shown that an exogenous gradient of interleukin-8 (IL-8) induces the transendothelial migration of neutrophils. Treatment of endothelium with the cytokines IL-1 or tumour necrosis factor (TNF) also causes neutrophil transmigration, and recent evidence suggests that this may be due to endogenous IL-8 produced by the endothelium. We have used specific chemotactic desensitization of neutrophils to investigate the role of IL-8 in transmigration through cytokine-activated endothelium. Preincubation of neutrophils with IL-8 reduced their chemotactic transmigration response to an IL-8 gradient by 81%, demonstrating desensitization. Transmigration in response to cytokine-activated endothelium was inhibited by 104% after IL-8 preincubation, thus tending to support the role of IL-8. However, preincubation with another neutrophil chemotactic factor N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), which did not affect the IL-8, response, also inhibited transmigration, by 74%. This suggests that FMLP preincubation acts to inhibit a non-IL-8-dependent mechanism of transmigration through cytokine-activated endothelium. Chemotactic factor pretreatment of neutrophils did not reduce their adhesion to activated endothelium, but specifically blocked the transmigration step. We have therefore shown that chemotactic transmigration can be subjected to factor-specific desensitization, and have used this to provide evidence supporting a role for IL-8 in transmigration through cytokine-activated endothelium, as well as suggesting a further IL-8-independent mechanism. These data also provide a mechanism for the observed defect in accumulation of neutrophils at inflammatory sites when chemotactic factors are infused intravenously.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a potent neutrophil chemotactic stimulant. We have used chemically synthesized IL-8 to investigate its role in human neutrophil adhesion and transendothelial migration. IL-8 enhanced the adhesiveness of human neutrophils to plastic, and to both unstimulated and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-stimulated endothelial monolayers in vitro. Using a two-compartment model separated by a confluent endothelial monolayer, we have shown that IL-8 chemotactic stimulation induced transmigration across the monolayer of up to 87.4 +/- 2.1% of added neutrophils (compared to random unstimulated transmigration of 2.2 +/- 0.7%), while chemokinetic stimulation led to transmigration of 21 +/- 3.8% of neutrophils. Preincubation of endothelium with TNF also induced transmigration in this model, and was additive when combined with an IL-8 chemotactic stimulus. Endothelial permeability was increased at maximal rates of chemotactic transmigration, which may correlate with increased permeability of vessels at inflammatory sites in vivo. The property of IL-8 to stimulate movement of neutrophils across endothelial monolayers in vitro supports the concept of a central role for this molecule in the accumulation of neutrophils at inflammatory lesions in vivo.