Effects of insulin and glucose on reendothelialization of in vitro aortic endothelial wounds

Maintaining an intact endothelial monolayer is important for the normal functioning of an artery and in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In the face of injury, the endothelium undergoes a process of repair, involving the cytoskeleton, to reestablish a monolayer. It was hypothesized that increased susceptibility to atherosclerosis In diabetics may be due, in part, to delayed reendothelialization following endothelial injury. To test this, the effects of elevated insulin and glucose concentrations on the reendothelialization process was examined using an in vitro porcine aortic endothelial cell wound model. It was observed that neither high insulin nor high glucose reduced the extent of reendothelialization after wounding. In addition, we did not observe any effect of insulin on the distribution of microtubules and microfilaments after wounding. Centrosomal reorientation followed normal patterns after wounding. The results suggest that, in this model of endothelial injury and repair, high insulin and high glucose concentrations do not induce a disruption of reendothelialization.