The effect of cardiac arrest on the permeability of the mouse blood-brain and blood-spinal cord barrier to pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP)☆

Abstract

Time-dependent changes in peptide transport system (PTS-6), which transports the 38 amino acid pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and blood–spinal cord barrier (BSCB), were studied in mice in a cardiac arrest model. The permeability of the BSCB to radioactivity labeled I 131 showed a reversible increase on Day 2-(24 h) after cardiac arrest. The BBB showed no such increase. The increase in BSCB permeability was primarily located within the thoracic region of the spinal cord. We conclude that the ischemia occurring with cardiac arrest results in a transient increase in PTS-6 activity located primarily in the thoracic region of the spinal cord.