High-Frequency Irreversible Electroporation (H-FIRE) Induced Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption Is Mediated by Cytoskeletal Remodeling and Changes in Tight Junction Protein Regulation

Date
2022-06-11Author
Partridge, Brittanie R.
Kani, Yukitaka
Lorenzo, Melvin F.
Campelo, Sabrina N.
Allen, Irving C.
Hinckley, Jonathan
Hsu, Fang-Chi
Verbridge, Scott S.
Robertson, John L.
Davalos, Rafael V.
Rossmeisl, John H.
Metadata
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Glioblastoma is the deadliest malignant brain tumor. Its location behind the blood–brain barrier (BBB) presents a therapeutic challenge by preventing effective delivery of most chemotherapeutics. H-FIRE is a novel tumor ablation method that transiently disrupts the BBB through currently unknown mechanisms. We hypothesized that H-FIRE mediated BBB disruption (BBBD) occurs via cytoskeletal remodeling and alterations in tight junction (TJ) protein regulation. Intracranial H-FIRE was delivered to Fischer rats prior to sacrifice at 1-, 24-, 48-, 72-, and 96 h post-treatment. Cytoskeletal proteins and native and ubiquitinated TJ proteins (TJP) were evaluated using immunoprecipitation, Western blotting, and gene-expression arrays on treated and sham control brain lysates. Cytoskeletal and TJ protein expression were further evaluated with immunofluorescent microscopy. A decrease in the F/G-actin ratio, decreased TJP concentrations, and increased ubiquitination of TJP were observed 1–48 h post-H-FIRE compared to sham controls. By 72–96 h, cytoskeletal and TJP expression recovered to pretreatment levels, temporally corresponding with increased claudin-5 and zonula occludens-1 gene expression. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed significant dysregulation of claudin genes, centered around claudin-6 in H-FIRE treated rats. In conclusion, H-FIRE is capable of permeating the BBB in a spatiotemporal manner via cytoskeletal-mediated TJP modulation. This minimally invasive technology presents with applications for localized and long-lived enhanced intracranial drug delivery.
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- Journal Articles, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) [1439]
- Scholarly Works, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics [458]
- Scholarly Works, Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology [547]
- Scholarly Works, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) [77]
- Scholarly Works, Small Animal Clinical Sciences [111]