Role of HCMV infection in the activation and oxidative stress of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Objective To investigate the role of the activation and oxidative stress of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) after HCMV infection. Methods HUVECs were divided into four groups: control, HCMV(+ ), after HCMV AD169 infection, and the supernatant of the culture was extracted, and the cells were lysed. The levels of vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in HUVEC were measured by real-time PCR. And the content of nitrogen monoxide (NO) of the supernatant was detected by nitrate reductasemethod accordingly. Results Twenty-four hours after infection, the mRNA expression of VCAM-1 in HUVECs of HCMV infected group increased obviously compared to control, and NO quantity increased accordingly and time-dependently. There was significant difference between groups(P<0.01). Conclusions HCMV increases the mRNA expression of VCAM-1 and quantity of NO, which may contribute to the formation of AS. Key words: Atherosclerosis; Cytomegalovirus; Vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1; HUVECs; Oxidative stress