Original scientific paper
Increased Permeability of the Blood-Brain Barrier Following Administration of Glyceryl Trinitrate in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)
Sanja Kovačić
Zdravko Petrinec
Željka Matašin
Emil Gjurčević
Goran Ivkić
Arijana Lovrenčić-Huzjan
Maja Šegvić-Klarić
Lada Rumora
Stjepan Pepeljnjak
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of migraine and treatment with its exogenous donor glyceryl
trinitrate (GTN) represents widely accepted experimental »migraine model«. In this study, glyceryl trinitrate was
administered intraperitoneally to carps, serum nitrite and nitrate levels were determined, permeability of blood-brain
barrier was investigated, and histological changes of brain tissue were analyzed. Serum nitrite and nitrate levels displayed
characteristic biphasic pattern with moderate initial increase and maximal terminal increase, suggesting the
GTN-induced endogenous NO synthesis. Increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier in GTN-treated animals was
determined based on Evans blue capillary leakage into the brain tissue. Histological analysis revealed changes consistent
with vasodilatation and oedema. Our study strongly supports the importance of the NO role in the pathogenesis of
migraine attacks and increase in blood-brain barrier permeability during the attack. The study has also provided evidence
that this mechanism of action is conserved to the lower vertebrate.
Keywords
migraine; glyceryl trinitrate; permeability; blood-brain barrier
Hrčak ID:
24561
URI
Publication date:
13.5.2008.
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