PHALLOIDIN ATTENUATES POSTISCHEMIC NEUTROPHIL INFILTRATION AND INCREASED MICROVASCULAR PERMEABILITY

The aim of this study was to determine whether phalloidin (1-mu-m) or antamanide (1-mu-M), cyclic peptides that stabilize dense peripheral band and stress fiber F-actin in endothelium, would attenuate the increase in microvascular permeability induced by 4 h of ischemia and 30 min of reperfusion (I/R) in the isolated canine gracilis muscle. Changes in microvascular permeability (1 - sigma) were assessed by determining the solvent drag reflection coefficient for total plasma proteins (sigma) in muscles subjected to 4.5 h of continuous perfusion (nonischemic controls), I/R alone, I/R + phalloidin, or I/R + antamanide. Muscle neutrophil content was assessed by determination of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in tissue samples obtained at the end of the experiments. Fluorescent detection of nitrobenzoxadiazole-phallicidin in endothelial cell monolayers confirmed that phalloidin enters these cells. I/R was associated with marked increases in microvascular permeability and muscle neutrophil content (1 - sigma = 0.45 +/- 0.07; MPO = 8.9 +/- 0.5 units/g) relative to control (4.5 h continuous perfusion) preparations (1 - sigma = 0.12 +/- 0.03; MPO = 0.5 +/- 0.8 unit/g). These I/R-induced changes were largely prevented by administration of phalloidin (1 - sigma = 0.19 +/- 0.02; MPO = 0.8 +/- 0.4 U/g) or antamanide (1 - sigma = 0.07 +/- 0.11; MPO = 0.9 +/- 0.3 unit/g) at reperfusion. Similar results were obtained when phalloidin was administered before ischemia (1 - sigma = 0.24 +/- 0.04; MPO = 1.2 +/- 1.0 units/g). Although antamanide decreased superoxide production (by approximately 60%) and adherence to plastic (by approximately 75%) by activated neutrophils in vitro, phalloidin failed to alter these aspects of granulocyte function. Finally, phalloidin prevented the increase in skeletal muscle microvascular permeability produced by administration of cytochalasin D (1-mu-M), an agent that disrupts cytoskeletal microfilaments. These data indicate that treatment with phalloidin or antamanide largely prevented the increase in microvascular permeability and neutrophil infiltration in postischemic skeletal muscle. Because our in vitro studies indicate that phalloidin gains access to endothelial cells but does not alter granulocyte function, the data suggest that the I/R-induced increases in skeletal muscle vascular permeability and neutrophil extravasation may involve alterations in the endothelial cell cytoskeleton.