Alterations in blood-brain barrier function following acute hypertension: comparison of the blood-to-brain transfer of horseradish peroxidase with that of alpha-aminisobutyric acid

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5941220

Ellison, M D.B.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) selectively restricts the blood-to-brain passage of many solutes owing to unique properties of cerebrovascular endothelial cell membranes. To date, experimental study of the BBB has been accomplished primarily through the use of two different methodological approaches. Morphological studies have mostly employed large molecular weight (MW) tracers to detect morphological alterations underlying increased permeability. Physiological studies, employing smaller, more physiologic tracers have successfully described, quantitatively, certain functional aspects of blood-to-brain transfer. The current work attempts to merge these two approaches and to consider barrier function/dysfunction from both a morphological and a functional perspective. Specifically, the study compares in rats, following acute hypertension, the cerebrovascular passage of /sup 14/C-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and that of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The blood-to-brain passage of AIB and HRP were compared following acute hypertension, with regard to both the distributions of the tracer extravasation patterns and the magnitude of tracer extravasation. The results of this study suggest that traditional morphological barrier studies alone do not reveal all aspects of altered barrier status and that multiple mechanisms underlying increased BBB permeability may operate simultaneously during BBB dysfunction.

• Research Organization: Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5941220
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550601* -- Medicine-- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
551001 -- Physiological Systems-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
AMINO ACIDS
AMINOBUTYRIC ACID
ANIMALS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
DISEASES
DISTRIBUTION
DRUGS
ENZYMES
HYPERTENSION
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES
NEUROREGULATORS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDOREDUCTASES
PEROXIDASES
RATS
RODENTS
SYMPTOMS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
VASCULAR DISEASES
VERTEBRATES