Abstract
Leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium and platelets is an early step in the acute inflammatory response. The initial process is mediated through P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) on leukocytes binding to platelets adhered to endothelium and the endothelium itself via P-selectin. Although these interactions are generally beneficial, pathologic inflammation may occur in undesirable circumstances, such as in acute lung injury (ALI) and ischemia and reperfusion injury. Therefore, the development of novel therapies to attenuate inflammation may be beneficial. In this article, we describe the potential benefit of using a recombinant human vimentin (rhVim) on reducing human leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium and platelets under shear stress. The addition of rhVim to whole blood and isolated neutrophils decreased leukocyte adhesion to endothelial and platelet monolayers. Furthermore, rhVim blocked neutrophil adhesion to P-selectin-coated surfaces. Binding assays showed that rhVim binds specifically to P-selectin and not to its counterreceptor, PSGL-1. Finally, in an endotoxin model of ALI in C57BL/6J mice, treatment with rhVim significantly decreased histologic findings of ALI. These data suggest a potential role for rhVim in attenuating inflammation through blocking P-selectin-PSGL-1 interactions.