Unilateral Opening of Rat Blood-Brain Barrier Assisted by Diagnostic Ultrasound Targeted Microbubbles Destruction

Figure 5

Nitrate Lanthanum distributions after ultrasonic irradiation under TEM. (a) Normal structure of endothelial cell (EC) layer and basement membrane (B) of BBB (black arrow) after Lanthanum injection in the control rat; NP: neuropil. (b) Findings in the contralateral hemisphere. Lanthanum ions were located within the capillary wall and distributed along the endothelial cell layer (arrowheads); a small amount of Lanthanum leaked through the gap of endothelial cell and stopped at the first tight junction (black arrows); Mf: medullated fibers. (c-d) Findings in the irradiated hemisphere. (c) Nitrate Lanthanum leaked through the interendothelial cleft at a whole length (arrowheads), crossed the basement membrane (B), and infiltrated to the glial tissue gap (asterisks); Mf: medullated fibers. (d) Lanthanum leaked extensively through the interendothelial cleft at a different vessel (arrows) and diffused to the gap of nerve fibers (asterisks), and mild swelling of the neurons close to the vessel was indicated. Ne: neurons (scale bars: (a) = (d) = 200 nm, (b) = 1 μm, and (c) = 2 μm). (e) High magnification image for the box region in figure (c). (f) High magnification image for the box region in figure (d).