Abstract
A rat-specific monoclonal antibody exclusively recognizing, the blood-brain and blood-nerve barrier protein has been demonstrated in rat brain from postnatal day 3 (Sternberger and Sternberger, 1987). In the present study, we have employed the anti-endothelial barrier antibody to assess the morphological alterations and the intrnparenehymal distribution of barrier competent microvessels in the developing rat brain. At postnatal day 6, the antibody binding endotbelia appeared as single round cells with central nuelei and granulated cytoplasm, within which the reaction product was evenly dispersed. These cells appeared over the pial surface of the temporal neocortex. At day 8 postnatally, the endothelial cells were arranged in vascular columns of 2 to 4 contiguous cells within the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus. These reactive cells assumed an oval shape with elongated nuclei. The reaction product was present throughout the cytoplasm although more concentrated on the lumenal side of the cell. From postnatal day 10 to 19 months, there was a rapid increase in individual cellular and overall vascular staining intensity and length of stained collaterals arising from reactive parent microvessels.
The cerebral cortex is more highly vascularized by barrier competent microvessels than white matter, while vessels in the hippocampus show higher reaction intensity but less vascular network than the rest of the neocortex, the white matter is less vascularized by blood-brain in barrier than either the hippocampus or the cerebral cortex.
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Ibiwoye, M., Sibbens, P. & Van Velzen, D. INTRAPARENCHYMAL., IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL DETECTION OF RAT BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER ANTIGEN. Pediatr Res 35, 261 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199402000-00041
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199402000-00041