P-glycoprotein and caveolin-1α in endothelium and... : NeuroReport (original) (raw)
GLIAL CELLS
P-glycoprotein and caveolin-1α in endothelium and astrocytes of primate brain
1Department of Medicine, UCLA, Warren Hall 13-164, 900 Veteran Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
2Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
CACorresponding Author: [email protected]
Received 3 August 2003; accepted 28 August 2003
Abstract
P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and caveolin-1α are both involved in membrane transport, and studies in rodent brain show that these proteins are specifically localized at the microvascular endothelium, which forms the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In humans, P-gp is also expressed in astrocytes, especially in pathological tissue. The present study examines the cellular expression of P-gp and caveolin-1α in fresh-frozen brain from healthy rhesus monkey using confocal microscopy and polyclonal antibodies against either P-gp or caveolin-1α co-labeled for astrocytes or microvascular endothelium. P-gp and caveolin-1α are expressed in both astrocytes and endothelium of healthy primate brain. These findings suggest that P-gp and caveolin-1α share a broad spectrum of cellular expression and may play a role in drug transport within the brain in addition to the BBB.
© 2003 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.