Figure 3.
Effects of progesterone (PROG) on tight junction proteins after ischemia onset with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), and after hypoxia/reperfusion (H/R) in brain endothelial cells. (A) Immunoblot images and quantitative data showing that, after tPA treatment (5 mg/kg, intravenous) in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) rats, occludin and claudin-5 levels were decreased in peri-infarct cortex compared with sham, and increased after treatment with PROG. (B) Immunoblot images and quantitative data showing that administration of tPA (20 μg/mL) with H/R markedly decreased occludin and claudin-5 levels, and PROG significantly prevented that decrease in vitro. Data are expressed as means ±s.e.m. #P<0.05 versus Control, @P<0.05 versus tPA, *P<0.05 versus tPA plus PROG (n=6–7).