Fig. 9.

Effects of glutamate and iGluR agonists on blood-brain barrier (BBB) properties of endothelial monolayers. Confluent quiescent CMVEC grown on semipermeable membranes in Costar Transwells were exposed to glutamate (Glu; 2 mM), NMDA (0.2 mM), or AMPA (0.2 mM) for 1–5 h. A: transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) was measured using a Millicell electrical resistance system. B: paracellular permeability of the endothelial monolayer to 3-kDa dextran-conjugated Alexa Fluor 488 was detected after 5 h incubation with glutamate and iGluR agonists and expressed as the ratio of abluminal to luminal fluorescence values. Data represent the average of 3 experiments. Values are means ± SE. *P < 0.05, compared with the control values.