Immobilized IL-8 Triggers Progressive Activation of Neutrophils Rolling In Vitro on P-Selectin and Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-11

The chemokine IL-8 is found on the luminal side of vascular endothelial cells, where it is postulated to be immobilized during inflammation. In this study, we observed that immobilized IL-8 can stimulate neutrophils to firmly adhere to a substrate containing ICAM-1 in a static adhesion assay. Soluble IL-8 was then perfused over neutrophils rolling on P-selectin (P-sel) and ICAM-1, confirming that IL-8 in solution can quickly cause rolling neutrophils to arrest. To mimic a blood vessel wall with IL-8 expressed on the luminal surface of endothelial cells, IL-8 was immobilized along with P-sel and ICAM-1 at defined site densities to a surface. Neutrophils rolled an average of 200 μm on surfaces of P-sel, ICAM-1, and IL-8 before firmly adhering through ICAM-1-β2 integrin interactions at 2 dynes/cm2 wall shear stress. Increasing the density of IL-8 from 60 to 350 sites/μm2 on the surface decreased by 50% the average distance and time the neutrophils rolled before becoming firmly adherent. Temporal dynamics of ICAM-1-β2 integrin interactions of rolling neutrophils following IL-8 exposure suggest the existence of two classes of β2 integrin-ICAM-1 interactions, a low avidity interaction with a 65% increase in pause times as compared with P-sel-P-sel glycoprotein ligand-1 interactions, and a high avidity interaction with pause times 400% greater than the selectin interactions. Based on the proportionality between IL-8 site density and time to arrest, it appears that neutrophils may need to sample a critical number of IL-8 molecules presented by the vessel wall before forming a sufficient number of high avidity β2 integrin bonds for firm adhesion.