Ulinastatin protects brain against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury through inhibiting MMP-9 and alleviating loss of ZO-1 and occludin proteins in mice.

Background: The effects of Ulinastatin (UTI) on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the acute phase of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) are not clear. This study was to investigate the potential protective effects of UTI on the BBB and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Male CD-1 mice were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) and randomly assigned to four groups: Sham (sham-operated), tMCAO (tMCAO+0.