Standardized Preclinical Blood-Brain Barrier Mouse Assay Validates Endocytosis-Dependent Antibody Transcytosis Using Transferrin-Receptor-Mediated Pathways.

The presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) creates a nigh-on impenetrable obstacle for large macromolecular therapeutics that need to be delivered to the brain milieu to treat neurological disorders. To overcome this, one of the strategies used is to bypass the barrier with what is referred to as a "Trojan Horse" strategy, where therapeutics are designed to use endogenous receptor-mediated pathways to piggyback their way through the BBB. Even though methodologies are commonly used to test the efficacy of BBB-penetrating biologics, comparable BBB models are in high demand, as they benefit from being an isolated cellular system devoid of physiological factors that can on occasion mask the processes behind BBB transport via transcytosis.

Blood-brain barrier targeted delivery of lacosamide-conjugated gold nanoparticles: Improving outcomes in absence seizures.

Objective: Most currently available antiepileptics are not fully effective in the prevention of seizures in absence epilepsy owing to the presence of blood-brain barrier (BBB). We aimed to test whether binding an antiepileptic drug, lacosamide (LCM), to glucose-coated gold nanoparticles (GNPs) enables efficient brain drug delivery to suppress the epileptic activity in WAG/Rij rats with absence epilepsy.

Methods: In these animals, intracranial-EEG recording, behavioral test, in vivo imaging of LCM and LCM-GNP conjugate distribution in the brain, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis, immunofluorescence staining of glucose transporter (Glut)- 1, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and p-glycoprotein (P-gp) and electron microscopy were performed.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for five days increases blood-brain barrier permeability.

This study aimed to explore the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO₂) on blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in rats, when administered for one (at 2.5 ATA, 3 HBO₂ sessions a day) and five days (at 2.5 ATA, 3 HBO₂ sessions a day for the first two days, and twice a day for the last three days).

Changes in electroencephalographic characteristics and blood-brain barrier permeability in WAG/Rij rats with cortical dysplasia.

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of cortical dysplasia (CD) on electrophysiology and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in WAG/Rij rats with genetic absence epilepsy.

Methods: Pregnant WAG/Rij rats were exposed to 145cGy of gamma-irradiation on embryonic day 17 to induce CD. An electroencephalogram was recorded from cortices subdurally in the offspring of the pregnant animals.

Localization and mobility of glucose-coated gold nanoparticles within the brain.

Aim: To identify the localization of glucose-coated gold nanoparticles within cells of the brain after intravascular infusion which may point to the mechanism by which they cross the blood-brain barrier.

Materials & Methods: Tissue distribution of the nanoparticles was measured by inductively-coupled-mass spectrometry and localization within the brain by histochemistry and electron microscopy.

Results & Conclusion: Nanoparticles were identified within neurons and glial cells more than 10 μm from the nearest microvessel within 10 min of intracarotid infusion.

Effects of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy on behavior deficits and functions in sepsis model.

Background: We aim to demonstrate behavioral alterations in a sepsis model using intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulins enriched with IgA and IgM (IgGAM).

Methods: We divided 48 Wistar albino rats into five groups: control group, sham-operated group (only antibiotic treatment), cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) group (CLP plus antibiotic treatment), IgG group (250 mg/kg IV IgG) and IgGAM group (250 mg/kg IV IgGAM). Intravenous immunoglobulins were given 5 min after the CLP procedure.

The effects of hyperbaric air and hyperbaric oxygen on blood-brain barrier integrity in rats.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment yields conflicting results on blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity under various pathological conditions and the effects of HBO on healthy brain is poorly understood. In this experimental study, the effects of HBO on BBB integrity were investigated in comparison with hyperbaric air (HBA) in intact rats. Four sessions of HBA or HBO were applied to intact rats in 24h.

Vagus nerve stimulation inhibits seizure activity and protects blood-brain barrier integrity in kindled rats with cortical dysplasia.

Aims: This study investigates the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on seizure severity and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in kindled rats with cortical dysplasia (CD).

Main Methods: Pregnant rats were exposed to 145 cGy of gamma-irradiation on day 17 of pregnancy. In offsprings, kindling was induced by giving subconvulsive doses of pentylenetetrazole.

Topiramate reduces blood-brain barrier disruption and inhibits seizure activity in hyperthermia-induced seizures in rats with cortical dysplasia.

We investigated the effects of topiramate (TPM), a novel broad spectrum anticonvulsant, on seizure severity, survival rate and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity during hyperthermic seizures in rats with cortical dysplasia (CD). Offsprings of irradiated mothers were used in this study. To show the functional and morphological alterations in BBB integrity, quantitative analysis of Evans blue (EB) extravasation, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopic assessment of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) permeability were performed.