Leukocyte recruitment in the liver includes a two-step procedure in which selectin-dependent leukocyte rolling is a prerequisite for subsequent CD18-dependent leukocyte firm adhesion in postsinusoidal venules. However, the roles of the individual selectins in leukocyte rolling and adhesion, hepatocellular injury, and apoptosis remain elusive. Therefore, we examined the pathophysiological role of P-, E-, and L-selectin in male C57BL/6 mice challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and D-galactosamine (Gal) by use of intravital microscopy of the liver microcirculation. In control animals, administration of LPS-Gal provoked reproducible hepatic damage, including marked increases of leukocyte recruitment, liver enzymes, and hepatocyte apoptosis and reduced sinusoidal perfusion. Interestingly, pretreatment with an anti-P-selectin antibody (RB40.34) markedly reduced leukocyte rolling and firm adhesion by 65 and 71%, respectively. Moreover, interference with P-selectin function significantly improved sinusoidal perfusion and reduced the increase in liver enzymes by 49 to 84% in endotoxemic mice. Moreover, the activity of caspase-3 and the number of apoptotic hepatocytes were significantly reduced by 55 and 54%, respectively, in RB40.34-treated animals. In contrast, administration of an anti-E-selectin antibody (10E9.6) and an anti-L-selectin antibody (Mel-14) did not protect against endotoxin-induced leukocyte responses or hepatic injury. In conclusion, our novel findings document a principal role of P-selectin in mediating leukocyte rolling, a precondition to the subsequent firm adhesion of leukocytes in liver injury. Furthermore, our novel data demonstrate that inhibition of P-selectin function reduces hepatocellular injury and apoptosis, suggesting a causal relationship between leukocyte recruitment on one hand and hepatocellular injury and apoptosis on the other hand. Based on these findings, it is suggested that P-selectin may be an important therapeutic target in endotoxin-induced liver injury.Activation and recruitment of leukocytes are features associated with liver injury in, e.g., ischemia-reperfusion and endotoxemia (10,12,23). In general, studies of various tissues have shown that infiltration of leukocytes involves a multistep cascade in which the initial rolling interaction between leukocytes and the endothelium is predominately mediated by the selectin family of adhesion molecules, including P-, E-, and L-selectin (1,15,20,31). Subsequent firm adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium is dependent on the function of  1 -and  2 -integrins (CD11/18) on leukocytes, interacting with members of the immunoglobulin supergene family expressed on activated endothelial cells, such as ICAM-1 and -2 and VCAM-1 (1,12,15,16,20,21,31).However, the literature on the specific roles of P-, E-, and L-selectin and the relationship between leukocyte recruitment, cellular injury, and apoptosis is contradictory. For example, when blood flow velocity and shear rates are reduced, it has been suggested that leukocytes may bypass...