Use of electrochemical impedance measurements to monitor β-adrenergic stimulation of bovine aortic endothelial cells

Due to the high permeability of endothelial cell layers derived from macrovascular vessels, precise determination of their barrier function towards ion movement requires refined experimental techniques. We thus cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) directly on thin gold-film electrodes and measured the electrochemical impedance to study their passive electrical properties in general and during beta-adrenergic stimulation. Impedance spectra (10(-2).10(6) Hz) of confluent cell monolayers revealed that the electrical characteristics of the cells can be modelled by a simple resistor-capacitor parallel network. Under control conditions the overall resistance of confluent BAEC monolayers was 3.6+/-0.6 Ohm.cm(2) (n=30) and the capacitance was 0.6+/-0.1 mu F/cm(2). Both quantities are discussed with respect to morphological characteristics of these cells. Stimulation of BAECs with the synthetic beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol leads to a concentration-dependent, highly specific increase of the cell layer resistance characterized by a concentration for half-maximal response (EC50) of 0.3+/-0.1 mu M. The cell layer capacitance, however, remained unaffected. Using impedance measurements at a single frequency, we analysed the response of BAECs to treatment with isoproterenol in comparison with several chemically unrelated compounds known to stimulate the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent signal transduction cascade. These studies confirmed that the enhancement of the cell layer resistance after beta-adrenergic stimulation is mediated by an increase in intracellular cAMP.