Recent studies have presented evidence that the processes of hypoxaemia and reperfusion are involved in several pathogenetic mechanisms of atherosclerotic lesions. The ability of hypoxaemia to activate circulating white blood cells (WBCs) and enhance WBC-endothelial cell (EC) interactions is suspected to be a major factor in deleterious processes in the blood vessel wall. Various groups have suggested that cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), such as ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin and their leukocyte ligands are involved in intercellular activities of the relevant cell types. We studied the effects of different oxygen tensions, simulating normoxic conditions, hypoxia and hyperoxia in vitro with the help of an umbilical vein EC model in order to determine the effects of oxygenation on CAM presentation on vascular ECs with and without further cytokine and endotoxin (lipopolysaccharides; LPS) stimulation. Semiquantitative analysis of ICAM-1, E-selectin and VCAM-1 was performed using cell enzyme immunoassay techniques. The presentation of ICAM-1, E-selectin and VCAM-1 remained on the whole unaffected by both hypoxia and hyperoxic conditioning after both 7 and 24 h. Stimulation of ICAM-1 by cytokines and LPS was only marginally influenced by the oxygen tension. Cytokine induction of E-selectin was not affected after 7 h and was even reduced under hypoxia, compared to the control culture after 24 h, while stimulation was increased by hyperoxia. VCAM-1 was reduced in both the hypoxic and hyperoxic culture, while being maximally stimulated by cytokines and LPS after 7 h. In general, an effect of hypoxia was not found without any further stimulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)