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Song Y, Xue Y, Liu X, Wang P, Liu L.
Effects of acute exposure to aluminum on blood-brain barrier and the
protection of zinc "Our present studies
suggest that aluminum increases the permeability of BBB by changing its
ultrastructure and the expression of occludin and F-actin"
Department of Experimental Center of the Functional Subjects, College
of Basic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
Neurosci Lett. 2008 Sep 3.
Aluminum and zinc are two important trace elements in an organism.
Although several studies have demonstrated their impacts on the
intelligence, very little was known about their effects on the
integrity of blood-brain barrier (BBB). To study the effects of
aluminum and zinc on the permeability of BBB, different doses of
aluminum and appropriate zinc were administered to rats. Evans blue
was detected in brain to determine the permeability of BBB. The
ultrastructure of BBB was observed under the transmission electron
microscope. Immunohistochemistr
detect the expression of skeleton protein F-actin and tight junction
protein occludin in brain capillary endothelium. The data indicated
that compared with the control group, Evans blue in brains increased
(P<0.01), the ultrastructure of BBB changed and the expression of F-
actin and occludin decreased (P<0.01) in the aluminum-toxic group.
Compared with the aluminum-toxic groups, the permeability of BBB to
Evans blue decreased (P<0.01), the damage of the BBB ultrastructure
was attenuated and the expression of F-actin and occludin increased
(P<0.05) in the aluminum-zinc group. Our present studies suggest that
aluminum increases the permeability of BBB by changing its
ultrastructure and the expression of occludin and F-actin. Zinc can
protect the integrity of BBB in juvenile rats that are exposed to
aluminum and inhibit the decrease of tight junction protein occludin
and F-actin expression in BBB.
(<http://www.ncbi.
PMID: 18786610 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]