Leukotrienes increase blood-brain barrier permeability following intraparenchymal injections in rats.
To examine whether leukotrienes could increase blood-brain barrier permeability, rats were anesthetized and injected intravenously with Evans blue. Ten microliters of vehicle, of leukotrienes B4, C4, or E4, or of arachidonic acid was injected over 1 hour directly into the brain parenchyma. The percentage of the total surface area of Evans blue extravasation in a coronal section of brain centered on the injection site was then determined as an estimate of blood-brain barrier permeability. Leukotrienes B4, C4, and E4, and arachidonic acid all increased blood-brain barrier permeability, but this effect was lost when the total dose was reduced to 20 ng. Increased blood-brain barrier permeability induced by arachidonic acid could be prevented by pretreatment with the lipoxygenase inhibitor BW755C, but not with indomethacin. Leukotrienes may play a role in the development of increased blood-brain barrier permeability after cerebral injury.
D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects*; D005070:Evans Blue / Q000378:metabolism; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013189:SRS-A / Q000494:pharmacology*
D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D013189:SRS-A; D007975:Leukotriene B4; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D005070:Evans Blue