Pulsatile oscillatory shear stress induces a pro-coagulant phenotype in endothelial cells by upregulating tissue factor activity, which may favor the formation and progression of atherothrombotic lesions.
In vitro TF upregulation by oscillatory shear supports mechanistic hypotheses; leaves open relevance to human atherothrombosis or therapeutic targeting.
Hemodynamic forces play a critical role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis as evidenced by the focal nature of the disease. Oscillatory shear stress characterizes the hemodynamic environment of plaque-prone areas as opposed to unidirectional shear stress typical of plaque-free areas. These particular flow conditions modulate atherosclerosis-related genes. Tissue factor (TF) initiates blood coagulation, contributes to vascular remodeling, and is therefore a potential contributor in the development/progression of atherosclerosis. We investigated the effect of oscillatory and unidirectional flows on TF using an in vitro perfusion system. Human endothelial cells exposed for 24 h to oscillatory shear stress, significantly increased TF mRNA, and TF protein expression (1.5- and 1.75-fold, respectively, p < 0.01), and surface TF activity (twofolds-increase). Expression of TF inhibitor (TFPI), mRNA and protein, remained unchanged as compared to static conditions. Conversely, cells exposed to unidirectional shear, showed a decrease in TF activity with a significant increase in TFPI mRNA and protein expression (1.5- and 1.8-fold, respectively, p < 0.01). These results show for the first time that pulsatile oscillatory shear stress induces a pro-coagulant phenotype of endothelial cells which may favor formation/progression of atherothrombotic lesions.
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Silacci et al. (2002) studied this question.