title: Maintaining blood-brain barrier integrity: pericytes perform better than astrocytes during prolonged oxygen deprivation.
abstract: The blood-brain barrier (BBB), consisting of specialized endothelial cells surrounded by astrocytes and pericytes, plays a crucial role in brain homeostasis. Many cerebrovascular diseases are associated with BBB breakdown and oxygen (O(2)) deprivation constitutes a critical factor that onsets its disruption. We investigated the impact of astrocytes and pericytes on brain endothelial cell permeability and survival during different degrees of O(2) deprivation. Prolonged exposure to 1% O(2) caused barrier breakdown and exposure to 0.1% O(2) dramatically accelerated disruption and induced cell death, mediated at least in part via caspase-3 activation. Reoxygenation allowed only cells exposed to 1% O(2) to re-establish barrier function. Notably co-culture with astrocytes and pericytes substantially enhanced barrier function under normoxic conditions, and produced differential responses during O(2) deprivation. At 1% O(2) astrocytes partially maintained barrier integrity whereas pericytes accelerated its disruption in the short-term, having positive effects only after prolonged exposure. Unexpectedly, at 0.1% O(2) pericytes were more effective than astrocytes in preserving barrier function although the protection afforded by both cells involved inhibition of caspase-3 pathways. Furthermore, cell-specific regulation of auto- and paracrine VEGF signaling pathways were also in part responsible for the differential modulation of barrier function. Our data suggests that cellular cross-talk within the neurovascular unit is crucial for preservation of barrier integrity and that pericytes, not astrocytes, play a significant role during severe and prolonged O(2) deprivation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Physiology and Zurich Centre for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al Ahmad
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gassmann
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Ogunshola
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D020286:Pericytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D010539:Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D053148:Caspase 3; D010100:Oxygen