Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
2011
Department
Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering
Abstract
The blood–brain barrier is a restrictive interface between the brain parenchyma and the intravascular compartment. Tight junctions contribute to the integrity of the blood–brain barrier. Hypoxic–ischemic damage to the blood–brain barrier could be an important component of fetal brain injury. We hypothesized that increases in blood–brain barrier permeability after ischemia depend upon the duration of reperfusion and that decreases in tight junction proteins are associated with the ischemia-related impairment in blood–brain barrier function in the fetus. Blood–brain barrier function was quantified with the blood-to-brain transfer constant (Ki) and tight junction proteins by Western immunoblot in fetal sheep at 127 days of gestation without ischemia, and 4, 24, or 48 h after ischemia. The largest increase in Ki (P < 0.05) was 4 h after ischemia. Occludin and claudin-5 expressions decreased at 4 h, but returned toward control levels 24 and 48 h after ischemia. Zonula occludens-1 and -2 decreased after ischemia. Inverse correlations between Ki and tight junction proteins suggest that the decreases in tight junction proteins contribute to impaired blood–brain barrier function after ischemia. We conclude that impaired blood–brain barrier function is an important component of hypoxic–ischemic brain injury in the fetus, and that increases in quantitatively measured barrier permeability (Ki) change as a function of the duration of reperfusion after ischemia. The largest increase in permeability occurs 4 h after ischemia and blood–brain barrier function improves early after injury because the blood–brain barrier is less permeable 24 and 48 than 4 h after ischemia. Changes in the tight junction molecular composition are associated with increases in blood–brain barrier permeability after ischemia.
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Chen, X., Threlkeld, S. W., Cummings, E. E., Juan, I., Makeyev, O., Besio, W. G., Gaitanis, J.,...Stonestreet, B. S. (2012). Ischemia–reperfusion impairs blood–brain barrier function and alters tight junction protein expression in the ovine fetus. Neuroscience, 226, 89-100. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.08.043
Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.08.043
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