[Characteristics of blood-optic nerve barrier: experiment with rats]

To investigate the difference of endothelial cells in ultrastructure, marker expression, and permeability between blood-brain barrier and blood-optic nerve barrier.

The optic nerve, including the prelaminar region, lamina cribrosa, retro-laminar region, intraorbital portion, intracanalicular portion, and intracranial portion, and frontal cortex of 20 male SD rats were obtained to undergo electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of endothelial barrier antigen (EBA) and the extravasation of fibrinogen around the microvessels.

Electron microscopy showed tight junction among the endothelial cells in the microvessels of all portions of optic nerve and cerebral cortex. The number of plasmalemmal vesicles of the prelaminar region was (108.0 +/- 12.0)/microm2, significantly greater than that of the cerebral cortex [(31.8 +/- 2.9)/microm2, P < 0.05]. However, there was no significantly difference in the number of plasmalemmal vesicle among the other portion of optic nerve and cerebral cortex (all P > 0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed that EBA was negative in the endothelial cells in the microvessels of prelaminar region, but strongly positive in the microvessels in the other portions of the optic nerve and in the cerebral cortex. Fibrinogen was present around the microvessels in the prelaminar region of optic nerve in a small amount, however, not present in the other portions of optic nerve and cerebral cortex.

There is significant differences in the number of plasmalemmal vesicle, EBA expression, and permeability between the prelaminar region of optic nerve and cerebral cortex, which demonstrates that this region lacks the characteristics of typical blood-brain barrier. However, the other parts of optic nerve possess the properties of classical blood-brain barrier.