Loss and recovery of the blood-nerve barrier in the rat sciatic nerve after crush injury are associated with expression of intercellular junctional proteins.
The blood-nerve barrier in peripheral nerves is important for maintaining the environment for axons. Breakdown of the barrier by nerve injury causes various pathologies. We hypothesized that the breakdown and recovery of the blood-nerve barrier after injury are associated with the changes in the expression of intercellular junctional proteins. To test this hypothesis, we induced crush injuries in the rat sciatic nerve by ligation and analyzed spatiotemporal changes of claudin-1, claudin-5, occludin, VE-cadherin, and connexin43 by immunoconfocal microscopy and morphometry and compared them with changes in the permeability of the blood-nerve barrier by intravenous and local administration of Evans blue-albumin (EBA). On day 1 after removal of the ligature EBA leaked into the connective tissue in the endoneurium and then the leakage gradually decreased and disappeared on day 7. On day 1 claudin-1, claudin-5, occludin, VE-cadherin, and connexin43 had totally disappeared from the perineurium and endoneurium. Thereafter, claudin-1, claudin-5, occludin, and VE-cadherin recovered from day 2, whereas connexin43 was redetected on day 5. These results indicate that the breakdown and following recovery of the blood-nerve barrier are closely associated with changes in the expression of claudins, occludin, VE-cadherin, and connexin43 and that the recovery time course is similar but nonidentical.
Hirakawa
Hisanori
H
Department of Pathology and Cell Regulation, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Okajima
Seiichiro
S
Nagaoka
Takanori
T
Takamatsu
Tetsuro
T
Oyamada
Masahito
M
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000502:physiology*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D062445:Claudin-1; D062507:Claudin-5; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D062793:Occludin; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020426:Sciatic Neuropathy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000099152:Cadherin 5
D015703:Antigens, CD; D015820:Cadherins; D062445:Claudin-1; D062507:Claudin-5; D018031:Connexin 43; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D062793:Occludin; D000099152:Cadherin 5; C568114:Cldn1 protein, rat; C491510:Cldn5 protein, rat; C568987:Ocln protein, rat