Intravenously injected human apolipoprotein A-I rapidly enters the central nervous system via the choroid plexus.
BACKGROUND
Brain lipoprotein metabolism is dependent on lipoprotein particles that resemble plasma high-density lipoproteins but that contain apolipoprotein (apo) E rather than apoA-I as their primary protein component. Astrocytes and microglia secrete apoE but not apoA-I; however, apoA-I is detectable in both cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue lysates. The route by which plasma apoA-I enters the central nervous system is unknown.


RESULTS
Steady-state levels of murine apoA-I in cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid are 0.664 and 0.120 μg/mL, respectively, whereas brain tissue apoA-I is ≈10% to 15% of its levels in liver. Recombinant, fluorescently tagged human apoA-I injected intravenously into mice localizes to the choroid plexus within 30 minutes and accumulates in a saturable, dose-dependent manner in the brain. Recombinant, fluorescently tagged human apoA-I accumulates in the brain for 2 hours, after which it is eliminated with a half-life of 10.3 hours. In vitro, human apoA-I is specifically bound, internalized, and transported across confluent monolayers of primary human choroid plexus epithelial cells and brain microvascular endothelial cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Following intravenous injection, recombinant human apoA-I rapidly localizes predominantly to the choroid plexus. Because apoA-I mRNA is undetectable in murine brain, our results suggest that plasma apoA-I, which is secreted from the liver and intestine, gains access to the central nervous system primarily by crossing the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier via specific cellular mediated transport, although transport across the blood-brain barrier may also contribute to a lesser extent.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Sophie
S
Stukas
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Jerome
J
Robert
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Michael
M
Lee
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Iva
I
Kulic
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Michael
M
Carr
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Katherine
K
Tourigny
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Jianjia
J
Fan
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Dhananjay
D
Namjoshi
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA (K.L., N.D.V., M.N.O.).
Kalistyne
K
Lemke
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA (K.L., N.D.V., M.N.O.).
Nicole
N
DeValle
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Jeniffer
J
Chan
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Tammy
T
Wilson
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Anna
A
Wilkinson
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.) Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (R.C., J.N.K.).
Rafi
R
Chapanian
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.) Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (R.C., J.N.K.).
Jayachandran N
JN
Kizhakkedathu
Department of Neurology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO (J.R.C.).
John R
JR
Cirrito
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA (K.L., N.D.V., M.N.O.).
Michael N
MN
Oda
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (S.S., J.R., M.L., I.K., M.C., K.T., J.F., D.N., J.C., T.W., A.W., R.C., J.N.K., C.L.W.).
Cheryl L
CL
Wellington
D000818:Animals; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000235:genetics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D001692:Biological Transport; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism*; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002831:Choroid Plexus / Q000378:metabolism*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution
C505693:APOA1 protein, human; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
ApoA‐I; central nervous system; cerebrovascular endothelium; choroid plexus; transport