Aquaporin 4 Expression and Distribution During Osmotic Brain Edema and Following Chronic Treatment of Desipramine
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Aquaporin 4 expression and distribution during osmotic brain edema and following chronic treatment of desipramine.Osmotic brain edema or chronic treatment with desipramine alters brain water permeability.In this study we investigated aquaporin 4 expression and distribution in these two conditions.Brain edema development was induced by intraperitoneal water injection.Blood serum osmolality decreased from 296 ± 1 mOsm to 278 ± 2 mOsm within 15 min.Cerebral cortex water content increased from 79.8 ± 0.2 % to 81.3 ± 0.5% during 120 min of this hyposmotic exposure.Aquaporin 4 immunostaining intensity at the astrocytic endfeet increased in water injected animals from 2.6 ± 0.04 intensity unites (IU) to 3.2 ± 0.21 IU, while total brain AQP4 expression remained unaltered.Chronic treatment with desipramine showed no significant change in serum osmolality or cerebral cortex water content.Similar to water injected animals, aquaporin 4 immunostaining intensity in chronic desipramine animals increased at the astrocytic endfeet (2.5 ± 0.04 IU to 3.0 ± 0.13) but total cortical AQP4 expression was again unaltered.These experiments suggest that decreased brain water permeability caused by osmotic brain edema is not a result of decreased AQP4 expression or localization of astroglial endfeet.However chronic treatment with desipramine increases AQP4 immunostaining at the astrocytic endfeet without increasing overall AQP4 expression.
Author: Sergei Alexander Robinson
Institution: Wright State University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2278527808