Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Matrix Metalloproteinase-Mediated Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction In Epilepsy, Ralf G. Rempe, Anika M. S. Hartz, Emma L. B. Soldner, Brent S. Sokola, Satya R. Alluri, Erin L. Abner, Richard J. Kryscio, Anton Pekcec, Juli Schlichtiger, Björn Bauer

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

The blood-brain barrier is dysfunctional in epilepsy, thereby contributing to seizure genesis and resistance to antiseizure drugs. Previously, several groups reported that seizures increase brain glutamate levels, which leads to barrier dysfunction. One critical component of barrier dysfunction is brain capillary leakage. Based on our preliminary data, we hypothesized that glutamate released during seizures mediates an increase in matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) expression and activity levels, thereby contributing to barrier leakage. To test this hypothesis, we exposed isolated brain capillaries from male Sprague Dawley rats to glutamate ex vivo and used an in vivo/ex vivo approach of isolated brain capillaries …