D. Hoheisel et al., HYDROCORTISONE REINFORCES THE BLOOD-BRAIN-BARRIER PROPERTIES IN A SERUM-FREE CELL-CULTURE SYSTEM (VOL 244, PG 312, 1998), Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 247(2), 1998, pp. 536
The increasing number of newly developed drugs demands for functional
in vitro models of the blood-brain barrier to determine their brain up
take. Cultured cerebral capillary endothelial cells are considered to
be such a model, however in serum containing media they exhibit low el
ectrical resistances and high permeabilities compared to the in vivo s
ituation. Here we report the establishment of a serum-free cell cultur
e model. Withdrawal of serum already caused a twofold increase of tran
sendothelial resistance (TER), which in presence of serum is about 100
-150 Ohm.cm(2). We tested several supplements and found that hydrocort
isone is a potent stimulator for the formation of barrier properties,
TERs up to 1000 Ohm.cm(2) were measured in the presence of physiologic
al relevant hydrocortisone concentrations. In correspondence to the TE
R increase hydrocortisone decreased cell monolayer permeability for su
crose down to 5.10(-7) cm/s, which is close to the in vivo value of 1.
2.10(-7) cm/s and by a factor of five lower compared to cultures witho
ut hydrocortisone and in presence of serum, (C) 1998 Academic Press.