Pharmacological modulation of erythrocyte adhesion to endothelium in diabetes mellitus

Erythrocyte adhesion to endothelial cells was measured using human umbilical vein endothelial cells in culture and a radiometric method. Erythrocyte adhesion was found to be increased in a group of twelve diabetics as compared to normal. The increase in adhesion was statistically significant (p<0.001) and was modified by the addition of Troxerutine in vitro. Troxerutine at a concentration of 10⁻⁶M impaired the abnormal erythrocyte adhesion observed in diabetics but from these results we cannot extrapolate the in vivo effect of the drug.