Aquaporin 4 expression and ultrastructure of the blood-brain barrier following cerebral contusion injury

Xinjun Li; Yangyun Han; Hong Xu; Zhongshu Sun; Zengjun Zhou; Xiaodong Long; Yumin Yang; Linbo Zou

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.04.006

Aquaporin 4 expression and ultrastructure of the blood-brain barrier following cerebral contusion injury

Neural Regen Res. 2013 Feb 5;8(4):338-45. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.04.006.

Authors

Xinjun Li¹, Yangyun Han², Hong Xu¹, Zhongshu Sun¹, Zengjun Zhou¹, Xiaodong Long¹, Yumin Yang¹, Linbo Zou¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang 618000, Sichuan Province, China.
² Department of Neurosurgery, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang 618000, Sichuan Province, China ; Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.

PMID: 25206674
PMCID: PMC4107528
DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.04.006

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate aquaporin 4 expression and the ultrastructure of the blood-brain barrier at 2-72 hours following cerebral contusion injury, and correlate these changes to the formation of brain edema. Results revealed that at 2 hours after cerebral contusion and laceration injury, aquaporin 4 expression significantly increased, brain water content and blood-brain barrier permeability increased, and the number of pinocytotic vesicles in cerebral microvascular endothelial cells increased. In addition, the mitochondrial accumulation was observed. As contusion and laceration injury became aggravated, aquaporin 4 expression continued to increase, brain water content and blood-brain barrier permeability gradually increased, brain capillary endothelial cells and astrocytes swelled, and capillary basement membrane injury gradually increased. The above changes were most apparent at 12 hours after injury, after which they gradually attenuated. Aquaporin 4 expression positively correlated with brain water content and the blood-brain barrier index. Our experimental findings indicate that increasing aquaporin 4 expression and blood-brain barrier permeability after cerebral contusion and laceration injury in humans is involved in the formation of brain edema.

Keywords: aquaporin 4; blood-brain barrier; brain edema; brain injury; cerebral contusion and laceration injury; early stage; human; neural regeneration; neuroregeneration; photographs-containing paper; ultrastructure.