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Biol Trace Elem Res (2008) 124:1219
DOI 10.1007/s12011-008-8101-3
F. Burcu Seker & Sibel Akgul & Baria Oztas
Received: 7 September 2007 /Accepted: 21 January 2008 /
Published online: 28 February 2008# Humana Press Inc. 2008
Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the effects of hypoglycemia and induced convulsions on the bloodbrain barrier permeability in rats with or without lifelong administration of sodium selenite. There is a significant decrease of the bloodbrain barrier permeability in three brain regions of convulsive, hypoglycemic male rats treated with sodium selenite when compared to sex-matched untreated rats (p<0.05), but the decrease was not significant in female rats (p>0.05). The bloodbrain barrier permeability of the left and right hemispheres of untreated, moderately hypoglycemic convulsive rats of both genders was better than their untreated counterparts (p<0.05). Our results suggest that moderate hypoglycemia and lifelong treatment with sodium selenite have a protective effect against bloodbrain barrier permeability during convulsions and that the effects of sodium selenite are gender-dependent.
Keywords Bloodbrain barrier . Seizure . Sodium selenite . Selenium . Hypoglycemia . Gender
Introduction
The bloodbrain barrier (BBB) is a complex structure that strictly controls the exchanges that take place between blood and cerebral tissue. These exchanges control the neuronal excitability and homeostasis of peripheral systems. Structurally, the bloodbrain barrier consists of tight junctions between cerebral capillary endothelial cells, a continuous basal lamina and astrocytic nerve endings that support the basal lamina [1]. This selectively permeable structure could be impaired during epileptic seizures, increasing its permeability [2, 3]. Free radical damage has been suggested as one of the mechanisms that causes blood
F. B. Seker (*)
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Capa, Istanbul, Turkey e-mail: [email protected]
S. Akgul : B. Oztas
Department of Physiology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Capa, 34390 Istanbul, Turkey
Lifelong Consumption of Sodium Selenite: Gender Differences on BloodBrain Barrier Permeability in Convulsive, Hypoglycemic Rats
Sodium Selenite and Bloodbrain Barrier During Seizures in Rats 13
brain barrier breakdown during epileptic seizures [4, 5]. During pharmacologically induced epileptic seizures in rats, increased free radical production has been observed as a result of greater brain tissue oxygen consumption and cerebral blood flow [68].
As a cofactor of glutathione peroxidase, selenium is an important part of the...