SummaryThe presence in whole blood of circulating endothelial cells (EC) has been a subject of debate for many years. It could represent a good marker of vessel injury. We demonstrate here that human endothelial cells can be directly isolated and identified in circulating blood by means of an endothelial cell specific monoclonal antibody, S-Endol, coupled to micromagnetic beads. The specificity and efficacy of the assay were established using normal blood samples with cultured EC added. Specific rosettes formed between EC and beads could subsequently be isolated with a magnet. The rosetted cells were recovered with a yield >80%. Their endothelial origin was confirmed by the positive labelling of von Willebrand factor and thrombomodulin, as well as the presence of Weibel-Palade bodies. We applied this method to demonstrate significantly increased levels of EC in venous and arterial human blood samples in patients undergoing heart catheterization. This new whole blood immuno-separation method may be useful in determining endothelial cell injury in vascular disorders.

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Lithium ion is widely used to treat depressive patients, often as an initial helper for antidepressant drugs or as a moodLithium is a simple monovalent cation that represents one of the most important compounds used in psychiatry. It is widely used and remains the most effective treatment for mania and for the prevention of recurrent episodes in both mania and depression (Schildkraut

The existence of endogenous compounds interacting with the serotonergic system was previously postulated. In the present work, rat brain tissues were extracted by acidic and organic procedures. The resulting extract was tested for its capacity to interact with the binding of