title: Selective permeability of [3H]-D-mannitol and [14C]-carboxyl-inulin across the blood-brain barrier and blood-spinal cord barrier in the rabbit.
abstract: Selective permeability across the blood-brain and blood-spinal cord barriers was studied in a rabbit experimental model. To maintain steady state levels of the tracers in the circulation, 50muCi each of [3H]-D-mannitol and [14C]-carboxyl-inulin were administered as a bolus and by slow intravenous infusion for 60, 90 and 120 minutes; 90 min proved to be the optimal equilibration time for uptake of radioactive tracers into central nervous system (CNS) regions. Kinetic transfer of [3H]-D-mannitol and [14C]-carboxyl-inulin from blood into CNS was computed as apparent transfer constant (KD). The KD for [3H]-D-mannitol in regions of brain (cerebrum, cerebellum, mid-brain, pons and brain stem), and spinal cord (cervical, thoracic and lumbar) were 0.033 to 0.054 microliter/min/g-1 and 0.053 to 0.065 microliter/min/g-1, respectively. The KD for [14C]-carboxyl-inulin into brain and spinal cord regions were 0.016 to 0.033 and 0.037 to 0.054 microliter/min/g-1, respectively. Of the regions of spinal cord and brain examined, lumbar cord appears to be the most permeable. The KD values pooled for samples of the spinal cord show a significant increase in uptake of [3H]-D-mannitol (p = 0.0043) and [14C]-carboxyl-inulin (p = 0.0001) compared to samples of brain. The blood-spinal cord barrier was more permeable to these substances than the blood-brain barrier.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa 33612, USA.
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Prockop
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Naidu
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Binard
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ransohoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000502:physiology*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D007444:Inulin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008297:Male; D008353:Mannitol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011817:Rabbits; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C041069:carboxyl radical; D008353:Mannitol; D007444:Inulin