Fig. 6.
Slit reduces vascular leak caused by multiple inflammatory stimuli through enhancing VE-cadherin at the cell surface. (A) Under normal conditions, alveolar capillaries are semipermeable. (B) Inflammatory stimuli cause a large release of cytokines, leading to internalization of VE-cadherin and disruption of barrier function. This results in vascular leak and accumulation of protein-rich edema fluid in the alveolar space. (C) Slit enhances vascular barrier function against multiple cytokines by enhancing VE-cadherin at the cell surface.