Ji-Yeon Suh1, Shunning Huang1, Dmitriy N. Atochin2, Paul L. Huang2, Emmanuel S. Buys3, Peter Brouckaert4, Jeong Kon Kim, 15, Woo Hyun Shim1, Seon Joo Kwon1, Young Ro Kim1
1Athinoula A, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusettes General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; 2Cardiology, MGH, Boston, MA, United States; 3Anesthesia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; 4VIB Department of Melecular Biomedical Research, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; 5Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Although constitutively produced eNOS and sGC are necessary enzymes for maintaining a normal endothelial function, cerebrovascular characters in the mouse brain lacking these enzymes have not been investigated. We aimed to characterize MRI-derived vascular parameters in eNOS and sGC knockout mice. Our results show an increased water exchange index (WEI) and a lower aquaporine expression in knockout mice, which imply the inherently weakened BBB function precluding the increased channel-mediated water exchange, This work provides a basis for elucidating the pathophysiological relationship between NO synthase and the BBB integrity, and its involvement with ischemic damage.