Filamin Redistribution in an Endothelial Cell Reoxygenation Injury Model

Ischemia-reperfusion injury increases vascular permeability in part by generating reactive oxygen species that disassemble the endothelial cell actin dense peripheral band. This is followed by an increase in the number and diameter of intercellular gaps. Millimolar concentrations of reactive oxygen metabolites lead to nonspecific endothelial cell injury, but micromolar concentrations activate inflammatory second messenger cascades which produce distributional changes in endothelial cell cytoskeletal proteins. H2O2 (100 μM) causes translocation of filamin, from the membrane to the cytosol within 1 min. Subsequently, gap formation occurs within 10–25 min, which is attributed to rearrangement of the dense peripheral band of F-actin. Plasma membrane blebbing occurs after 90 min and decreases in mitochondrial activity occur after 1–2 h. Deferoxamine (iron chelator) and TEMPO (nonspecific free radical scavenger) inhibit these changes. H2O2 (100–1000 μM) does not increase endothelial cell intracellular Ca2+ through 30 min and pretreating cells with a Ca2+-calmodulin kinase inhibitor or an intracellular Ca2+ chelator does not prevent filamin translocation. Filamin redistribution and actin rearrangement are early events in H2O2-mediated endothelial cell injury that appear to occur through Ca2+-independent pathways. Copyright © 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.