Fig. 3.

Exogenous HSP70 promotes the adhesion between rat peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs) and rat aortic endothelial cells (RAECs) by cytokine release. a RAECs were treated with LPS and HSP70 for 24 h and then incubated with freshly isolated PBMC for an additional 30 min. Adherent PBMCs density indicated that HSP70 has no effect on the adhesion of RAECs. Consistently, 24 h HSP70 treatment failed to induce a higher expression of ICAM-1 in RAECs (b). However, when the experimental procedure was reversed, HSP70 treatment on PBMCs resulted in a higher adhesion rate between PBMCs and RAECs (c). d 24-h HSP70 incubation also induced higher IL-6 release in PBMCs. e RAECs were treated with LPS and IL-6 for 24 h and then incubated with PBMCs for 30 min. Similar adhesion-promoting effects of IL-6 were indicated by higher adherent PBMCs density. f 24-h IL-6 treatment on RAECs led to a dramatic up-regulation of ICAM-1. Values represent mean ± SD, n = 3. *p < 0.05 vs. Ctrl