Endothelial cells (EC) can actively influence the hemostatic response at sites of vascular injury through multiple mechanisms. For example, EC can degrade adenosine diphosphate, release plasminogen activator, and synthesize prostacyclin (PGI2), a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation. We have examined whether PGI2 also might account for the normal lack of platelet adherence to the uninjured EC surface. In a monolayer adherence assay, radiolabeled human platelets in citrated plasma showed minimal interaction with primary cultures of human EC (<1 platelet adhering per cell). Platelets from aspirin-treated and untreated donors behaved similarly. However, aspirin pretreatment of EC consistently resulted in ~2-fold increases in platelet adherence which could be completely abolished by exogenous PGI2 (0.5–1.0 μg/ml). SV40-transformed human EC (SVHEC), which are deficient in PGI2 production compared to primary EC, showed 10-30 times more platelet adherence. Exogenous PGI2 produced a dose - related (.001-1.0 μg/ml) decrease in platelet adherence to SVHEC but did not result in the basal levels observed with normal EC monolayers. These data suggest that : 1) In addition to its effects on platelet aggregation, PGI2 can influence platelet endothelial cell interactions; 2) The increased platelet reactivity of transformed EC is associated with, but not completely attributable, to decreased PGI2 production; and 3) Factors other than PGI2 may play a role in the thromboresistance of normal vascular endothelium.