Modulation of Mrp1 (ABCc1) and Pgp (ABCb1) by bilirubin at blood-CSF and blood-brain barriers in the Gunn rats

SILVIA GAZZIN; ANDREA L. BERENGENO; NATHALIE STRAZIELLE; FRANCESCO FAZZARI; ALAN RASENI; J.DONALD OSTROW; RICHARD WENNBERG; JEAN-FRANCOIS GHERSI EGEA; CLAUDIO TIRIBELLI

PLOS ONE

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2011 vol. 6

1932-6203

ABSTRACTAccumulation of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) in the brain causes bilirubin encephalopathy. Pgp (ABCb1) and Mrp1 (ABCc1), highly expressed in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) respectively, may modulate the accumulation of UCB in brain. We examined the effect of prolonged exposure to elevated concentrations of UCB on expression of the two transporters in homozygous, jaundiced (jj) Gunn rats compared to heterozygous, not jaundiced (Jj) littermates at different developmental stages (2, 9, 17 and 60 days after birth). BBB Pgp protein expression was low in both jj and Jj pups at 9 days (about 16-27% of adult values), despite the up-regulation in jj animals (2 and 1.3fold higher than age matched Jj animals at P9 and P17-P60, respectively); Mrp1 protein expression was barely detectable. Conversely, at the BCSFB Mrp1 protein expression was rather high (60-70% of adult values) in both jj and Jj at P2, but was markedly (50%) down-regulated in jj pups starting at P9, particularly in the fourth ventricle choroid plexuses; Pgp was almost undetectable. The Mrp1 protein down regulation was accompanied by a modest up-regulation of mRNA, suggesting a translational rather than a transcriptional inhibition, In vitro exposure of choroid plexus epithelial cells obtained from normal rats to UCB, also resulted in a down-regulation of Mrp1 protein. These data suggest that downregulation of Mrp1 protein at BCSFB, resulting from a direct effect of UCB on epithelial cells, may impact the Mrp1-mediated neuroprotective functions of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier and actually potentiate UCB neurotoxicity.