Blast exposure elicits blood-brain barrier disruption and repair mediated by tight junction integrity and nitric oxide dependent processes.

ABSTRACT: Mild blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption. However, the mechanisms whereby blast disrupts BBB integrity are not well understood. To address this issue BBB permeability to peripherally injected ¹⁴C-sucrose and ^99mTc-albumin was quantified in ten brain regions at time points ranging from 0.25 to 72 hours. In mice, repetitive (2X) blast provoked BBB permeability to ¹⁴C-sucrose that persisted in specific brain regions from 0.25 to 72 hours. However, ^99mTc-albumin revealed biphasic BBB disruption (open-closed-open) over the same interval, which was most pronounced in frontal cortex and hippocampus. This indicates that blast initiates interacting BBB disruption and reparative processes in sp

SUBMITTER: Logsdon AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6063850 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature