Experimental study on the structural damage of the blood-brain barrier induced by overpressure blast in rat / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the influences of blast wave overpressure created by explosion on rat's blood-brain barrier (BBB),and to provide an experimental evidence for further elucidating the mechanism of craniocerebral blast injury,to help direct the clini- cal therapeutic strategy.Methods Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups:15min,12h and 24h post- explosion groups and normal control group with five rats for each group.Rats were injured with blast wave produced by explosion.Evan 's blue(EB)was intravenously injected into the injured rats,and the overpressure-induced leakage of BBB was examined under the fluores- cence microscope and by quantitative observation with opacimeter.Results Extensive impairment of BBB could be seen all over the brain 15 min after the overpressure explosion,and bright red EB fluorescent patches appeared as a method distributing along the capillary vessels. These patches were more distinct near the cerebral cortex,and with the lapse of time,their number decreased gradually from the inner to the outer areas.The changes in EB contents in brain tissue matched with that of the BBB.The EB contents in brain tissues in 15min group were(330.4?53.6)?g/g,and it was much higher compared with that of other groups(P