Permeability of the blood-brain barrier is not changed by vasoactive doses of arachidonic acid or prostaglandins in rats.
Charles River, Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium, 50 mg/kg i.p. and a jugular vein and femoral artery cannulated. Saline, arachidonic acid (1, 2, 4 or 6 mg/kg) alone or 15 minutes after administration of indomethacin (5 mg/kg), prostaglandin E2 (0.5, 1, 2 or 4 micrograms/kg) (PGE2), prostaglandin F2 alpha (20, 40, 80 or 160 micrograms/kg) (PGF2 alpha) or prostaglandin I2 (prostacyclin) (0.5, 1, 2 or 4 micrograms/kg) (PGI2) were given intravenously. Each of the drugs caused a dose-dependent decrease in blood pressure except for PGF2 alpha which caused an initial, short-lasting fall in blood pressure followed by a more sustained rise in blood pressure. The permeability of the blood-brain barrier was measured using 99mTc-sodium pertechnetate (TcO-4). None of the prostaglandins or arachidonic acid caused a significant change in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. This provides a further example of a dissociation between drug-induced changes in systemic blood pressure and change in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier.
D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D010539:Permeability; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D011453:Prostaglandins; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D007213:Indomethacin