Open Access

Expression of aquaporin-4 and pathological characteristics of brain injury in a rat model of traumatic brain injury

  • Authors:
    • Chengcheng Zhang
    • Jianqiang Chen
    • Hong Lu
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: September 25, 2015     https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2015.4372
  • Pages: 7351-7357
  • Copyright: © Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

Metrics: Total Views: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )
Total PDF Downloads: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )


Abstract

Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) is a widely distributed membrane protein, which is found in glial cells, ependymocytes and capillary endothelial cells in the brain, and particularly in the choroid plexus. AQP4 is a key regulator of water metabolism, and changes in its expression following brain injury are associated with pathological changes in the damaged side of the brain; however, the effects of brain injury on AQP4 and injury‑induced pathological changes in the contralateral non‑damaged side of the brain remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study, male Sprague‑Dawley rats were subjected to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and changes in brain water content, the expression of AQP4 expression and pathological characteristics in the damaged and contralateral non‑damaged sides of the brain were examined. In the damaged side of the brain, vasogenic edema appeared first, followed by cellular edema. The aggravated cellular edema in the damaged side of the brain resulted in two periods of peak edema severity. Pathological changes in the contralateral non‑damaged side of the brain occurred later than those in the damaged side; cellular edema appeared first, followed by vasogenic edema, which was alleviated earlier than the cellular edema. AQP4 was downregulated during vasogenic edema, and upregulated during cellular edema. Taken together, these results suggested that the downregulation of AQP4 was a result of vasogenic edema and that the upregulation of AQP4 may have induced cellular edema.

Related Articles

Journal Cover

November-2015
Volume 12 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1791-2997
Online ISSN:1791-3004

Sign up for eToc alerts

Recommend to Library

Copy and paste a formatted citation
x
Spandidos Publications style
Zhang C, Chen J and Lu H: Expression of aquaporin-4 and pathological characteristics of brain injury in a rat model of traumatic brain injury. Mol Med Rep 12: 7351-7357, 2015
APA
Zhang, C., Chen, J., & Lu, H. (2015). Expression of aquaporin-4 and pathological characteristics of brain injury in a rat model of traumatic brain injury. Molecular Medicine Reports, 12, 7351-7357. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2015.4372
MLA
Zhang, C., Chen, J., Lu, H."Expression of aquaporin-4 and pathological characteristics of brain injury in a rat model of traumatic brain injury". Molecular Medicine Reports 12.5 (2015): 7351-7357.
Chicago
Zhang, C., Chen, J., Lu, H."Expression of aquaporin-4 and pathological characteristics of brain injury in a rat model of traumatic brain injury". Molecular Medicine Reports 12, no. 5 (2015): 7351-7357. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2015.4372