title: Inhibition of blood-brain barrier disruption in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by short-term therapy with dexamethasone or cyclosporin A.
abstract: Double radioisotope measurement of neurovascular integrity in Lewis rats inoculated for experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) showed abnormal elevation of albumin extravasation in the cerebellum, medulla-pons and cervical spinal cord at the time of clinical manifestation. Therapeutically administered dexamethasone (Dex) (0.1-1 mg/kg body weight) or cyclosporin A (CsA) (25-75 mg/kg body weight) dose-dependently reduced albumin movement across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Dex at a dose of 1 mg/kg completely suppressed abnormal BBB permeability in all tissues (P < or = 0.001), while CsA at the highest dose of 75 mg/kg achieved highly significant (P < or = 0.001), but not complete, suppression of aberrant barrier leakage in the areas studied. The implications of these findings to possible drug action at the immunocompromised cerebrovasculature are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects*; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D011506:Proteins / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D003907:Dexamethasone; D016572:Cyclosporine