Figure 2.

Reduced damage to BBB structural components in COX-2 deficient mice after stroke. Ischemia-induced loss of proteins composing the tight junctions, adherens junctions, and basal lamina significantly increases BBB permeability. COX-2 null mice displayed a reduced loss of ZO-1, occludin, JAM-A, and collagen IV after ischemic stroke compared to wild-type controls. (A) Representative immunoblot images for several BBB structural proteins. i, ipsilateral; c, contralateral. Densitometric analyses normalized to β-actin are presented for ZO-1 (B), occludin (C), JAM-A (D), and collagen IV (E). Two-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-tests. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001. Data are presented as mean ± SD. n = 10 in MCAO groups of each genotype. Sham-operated groups (n = 3).