title: Decrease of tight junction integrity in the ipsilateral thalamus during the acute stage after focal infarction and ablation of the cerebral cortex in rats.
abstract: 1. Whether damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) occurs in remote areas after a focal cortical lesion remains unknown. The present study investigated tight junction-related proteins and tight junction microstructure in the ipsilateral thalamus during the acute stage after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and cortical aspiration lesion (CAL) in rats. 2. Thirty-six hypertensive and normotensive rats were subjected to MCAO or CAL; another 18 rats in each group were submitted to sham operation. Zonula Occluden (ZO)-1, occludin and albumin were detected by western blotting 12 and 24 h after surgery. Tight junction microstructure was evaluated using electron microscopy, whereas albumin location in the ipsilateral thalamus was determined using double immunostaining for albumin and occludin or albumin and neuronal nuclei (NeuN) 24 h after surgery. 3. Twenty-four hours after MCAO or CAL, occludin expression was reduced to 78.4% and 81.3%, respectively, compared with control. A reduction in ZO-1 expression in the ipsilateral thalamus (to 79%) was seen only after CAL (P < 0.05). Membrane contact at the tight junction was discontinuous in the ipsilateral thalamus in both MCAO and CAL rats. Albumin levels were 23.2% and 82.5% higher in the ipsilateral thalamus after MCAO and CAL, respectively (P < 0.05). The percentage of the albumin-positive area that coincided with the occludin-positive area in the MCAO and CAL groups was 76.8% and 64.6%, respectively, indicating that albumin was mainly localized around the microvessels. 4. The results of the present study suggest that tight junction integrity decreases during the acute stage in the ipsilateral thalamus after MCAO and CAL in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Jing
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shi-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yi-Liang
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Yu-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chuo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yu-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Jin-Sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D055806:Microvessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D062793:Occludin; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D062793:Occludin; C568987:Ocln protein, rat; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C569044:Tjp1 protein, rat; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein