Fig. 2.

Caspase inhibition worsens thrombin-induced endothelial barrier disruption. Human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVECs) were exposed to 1.25 U/ml of thrombin, and endothelial barrier integrity was measured. A and B: HLMVECs grown in full media or basal media (10 and 2.5% fetal bovine serum, respectively) show a drop in transendothelial resistance (TER) in response to thrombin. Caspase inhibition with q-VD-OPH (qVD) leads to a more significant drop in TER compared with thrombin alone. Representative tracing for each condition is plotted. C: quantification of maximal drop in TER; n = 5 separate experiments; 8–11 individual wells/condition. R/R₀, resistance/resistance at baseline.