抄録
The vascular endothelium is known to act as a selective barrier for macromolecules between the intra- and extra- vascular lumen. To clarify the molecular mechanism of transport through endothelial cells, we developed an in vitro model system, porcine arterial endothelial cells cultured on type I collagen gel supported by dacron sheet. In this study, the relation between molecular weight of fluorescein dextran (FD) and transport through endothelial barrier was studied.
The endothelial cell monolayer supported by dacron sheet was set between two separate chambers, and appropriate amounts of FD (molecular weight; 4K, 10K, 20K, 70K, 150K) were introduced into upper compartment, FD in lower compartment thereafter was determined by fluorescence intensity.
Scanning and transmission electromicroscopy showed that the endothelial cells were confluent 2-3 days after seeding of the cells. The permeation rates of FD through the monolayer were dependent on the molecular weight.
