To understand the pathogenesis of vasculitides, we analyzed how cytokine stimulation of HUVEC in vitro activates the cytotoxic capacity of polymorphonuclear (PMN) granulocytes. IL-1beta, IFN-gamma, or TNF-alpha caused highly significant dose and time-dependent HUVEC injury. TNF-alpha-treated HUVEC activated the PMN by means of phospholipase C-related event, since coincubations conferred PMN to react with a rise of cytosolic calcium concentrations, [Ca2+]i. Ab blockade of ICAM-1 on HUVEC inhibited 50 to 70% of the injury induced by these cytokines, whereas a mAb to E-selectin reduced 45 to 65% of IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-, but not IFN-gamma-induced cytotoxicity. The role of nitric oxide (NO) was of significance since injury induced by each cytokine was reduced by 60 to 87% by specific NO-synthase inhibitors, as well as by scavenging extracellular NO by oxyhemoglobin. In contrast, injury induced by TNF-alpha was inhibited by neither superoxide dismutase or catalase, alpha1-antitrypsin, alpha2-macroglobulin, nor the platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist WEB-2086. Moreover, PMN from a patient with chronic granulomatous disease were fully capable of mediating cytotoxicity. The possibility that IL-8, produced by HUVEC in response to TNF-alpha, mediated activation of PMN was not corroborated since addition of an IL-8-blocking mAb did not modify HUVEC injury. Nonetheless, the IL-8 mAb (but not WEB-2086) blocked the rise of [Ca2+]i. Thus, in this in vitro model of vasculitis, the effect of IL-1beta, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha as promotors of cytokine-mediated neutrophil-dependent injury to HUVEC is a process dependent on expression of adhesion molecules and probably associated with NO produced in the system.