Increased blood–brain barrier permeability in LP-BM5 infected mice is mediated by neuroexcitatory mechanisms

Serum protein levels in LP-BM5 infected mouse brains were investigated to gain insight into the contribution of blood–brain barrier (BBB) patency to the pathogenesis of retroviral encephalopathy. Evans blue uptake by the forebrain and cerebellum was significantly increased between 8–12 weeks post inoculation. Immunohistochemistry revealed foci of albumin, transferrin, α 2 -macroglobulin and IgG transudation around blood vessels particularly in the cerebral cortex and cerebellar vermis. These leaks were often associated with astrocytosis and apoptotic cells. Unlike the other serum proteins, IgG immunoreactivity extended from the circumventricular organs and disseminated throughout the brain parenchyma, accumulating on the plasma membranes of hippocampal and cortical neurons. Consistent with the chronic elevation of free glutamate levels in LP-BM5 infected mice, the increase in Evans blue uptake into the forebrain was completely reversed following dizocilpine administration. Thus, the chronic increase in free glutamate levels in LP-BM5 infected mouse brain contributes to BBB disruption. Furthermore, the CNS accumulation of serum proteins, particularly IgG, observed in these mice may increase osmotic load, impair neuronal function, and cause white matter pallor. Administration of NMDA receptor antagonists may prove useful in managing BBB permeability in those neuropathologies, such as HIV-associated dementia/cognitive/motor complex, having a glutamatergic component.