Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Setting-up an In Vitro Model of Rat Blood-brain Barrier (BBB): A Focus on BBB Impermeability and Receptor-mediated Transport
Published on: June 28, 2014
Rat brain capillary endothelial cells express functional PDGF B-type receptors
A Smits1, M Hermansson, M Nistér
1Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Biomedical Center, Uppsala, Sweden.
Abstract:
Immunohistochemical staining revealed the presence of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) B-type receptors on capillaries of normal rat brain. Furthermore, capillary endothelial cells isolated from rat brain and grown in tissue culture bound [125I]PDGF-BB but not [125I]PDGF-AA, suggesting that they expressed B-type, but not A-type, PDGF receptors. PDGF-BB and PDGF-AB, but not PDGF-AA, also stimulated incorporation of [3H]thymidine into these cells. Thus, rat brain capillary endothelial cells have functional B-type receptors, and thereby differ from endothelial cells derived from large blood vessels, that do not express PDGF receptors. Our data suggest a possible role for PDGF-BB as an angiogenic factor.

