Figure 5.
Downregulation of tight junction proteins following peripheral nerve injury. Microvessels isolated from the spinal cord were positive for endothelium markers, VWF and Glut-1 (A). The expression of tight junction-associated protein ZO-1 (B), occludin-1 (C), and caveolin-1, a major player in the formation of caveolae (D), was significantly lower in microvessels of animals day 3 after nerve lesion than controls (naive and sham). Quantitative assessment of protein levels is illustrated in E. Three separate experiments in which each treatment group consists of pooled microvessels from two animals were included. Values are presented as means ± SEM. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. Scale bar, 20 μm.