title: Arachidonic acid increases cerebral microvascular permeability by free radicals in single pial microvessels of the anaesthetized rat.
abstract: 1. We have investigated the permeability-increasing effect of arachidonic acid on pial venular capillaries in vivo using the single microvessel occlusion technique. 2. Permeability to Lucifer Yellow dye (476 Da) increased dose dependently when arachidonic acid was applied focally to the abluminal surface of the vessels. This was completely reversible at all but the highest dose. The permeability increase was 1.65 x 10(-6) +/- 0.247 x 10(-6) cm s-1 (mean +/- S.E.M.) at 0.25 mM, 3.53 x 10(-6) +/- 0.872 x 10(-6) cm s-1 at 0.5 mM, 12.61 x 10(-6) +/- 3.44 x 10(-6) cm s-1 at 1 mM and 18.46 x 10(-6) +/- 5.90 x 10(-6) cm s-1 at 2 mM arachidonic acid. There was a similar reversible dose-dependent permeability increase to eicosapentaenoic acid. 3. These permeability increases could be prevented by co-application of a mixture of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase and catalase (30 and 100 U ml-1), or by the iron chelator desferrioxamine (100 microM). 4. The permeability increases were also prevented by the cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase blockers indomethacin (100 microM) and nordihydroguariaretic acid (100 microM), respectively, when applied together, but not singly. 5. It was concluded that the permeability response to arachidonic acid depends on the formation of free radicals and subsequent lipid peroxidation.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Research Centre, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Easton
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Fraser
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects*; D002196:Capillaries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000187:drug effects*; D002550:Cerebral Veins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D007546:Isoquinolines; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005609:Free Radicals; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D007546:Isoquinolines; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; C017475:lucifer yellow