Influence of hydrocortisone on the mechanical properties of the cerebral endothelium in vitro.
Cerebral endothelial cells accomplish the barrier functions between blood and brain interstitium. Structural features are the tight junctions between adjacent endothelial cells and the formation of marginal folds at the cell-cell contacts. The glucocorticoid hydrocortisone (HC) has been reported to enforce the blood-brain-barrier in vitro measurable by an increase of the transendothelial electrical resistance. This study shows the impact of HC on the mechanical and morphological properties of confluent cell layers of brain microvascular endothelial cells. HC induces an increase in height of these marginal folds and a reduction of the intercellular contact surface. These morphological changes are accompanied by changes in cell elasticity. Staining of fibrous actin indicates that HC induces a reorganization of the actin cortex. The quantitative determination of the local elastic properties of cells reveals for the first time an HC-induced increase of the representative Young's modulus according to cytoskeletal rearrangements. For this study, cells of two different species, porcine brain capillary endothelial cells and murine brain capillary endothelial cells, were used yielding similar results, which clearly demonstrates that the HC effect on the cell elasticity is species independent.
Schrot
Sebastian
S
Institute for Biochemistry, and Institute of Physics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Wilhelm-Klemm-Strasse 2, 48149 Münster, Germany.
Weidenfeller
Christian
C
Schäffer
Tilman E
TE
Robenek
Horst
H
Galla
Hans-Joachim
HJ
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004548:Elasticity; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
D006854:Hydrocortisone