title: Astrocytes enhance radical defence in capillary endothelial cells constituting the blood-brain barrier.
abstract: Astrocytes (AC) induce blood-brain barrier (BBB) properties in brain endothelial cells (EC). As antioxidative activity (AOA) is assumed to be a BBB characteristic, we tested whether AC improve AOA of EC. Monocultivated AC showed higher AOA [manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (Cat), glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] than EC. Cocultivation elevated AOA in EC (MnSOD, CuZnSOD, Cat, GPx), and AC (MnSOD, CuZnSOD, GPx). Hypoxia increased radical-induced membrane lipid peroxidation in monocultivated, but not in cocultivated EC. Thus, EC/AC cocultivation intensifies AOA in both cell types, protects the EC, and therefore, the BBB against oxidative stress. The high AOA is regarded as an essential property of the BBB, which is induced by AC.
authors.affiliation: Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Schroeter
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mertsch
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sporbert
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hickel
authors.forename: I E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Blasig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005978:Glutathione