Blood-Brain Barrier Abnormalities Caused by HIV-1 gp120: Mechanistic and Therapeutic Implications

Figure 3

Injection of gp120 into the rat CP induced upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). (a) Frozen cryostat sections of CP injected with 500 ng gp120 and stained by in situ zymography. Left column: the fluorescent product was observed in blood vessel-like structures and in cells. No gelatinolytic activity was seen in the controlateral uninjected side or in CPs injected with saline. There was a colocalization between in situ zymography and RECA-1 and Neurotrace (NT), a marker of neurons (resp., middle and right columns). (b) Top: numbers of vessels exhibiting gelatinolytic activity were increased in CPs injected with gp120. Bottom: increase in the numbers of MMP-2- and MMP-9-positive neurons in CPs injected with gp120. (c) Colocalization between MMP-2, MMP-9, NT, and RECA-1 in CPs injected with gp120. Bar: (a) left column: 100 μm, middle column: 70 μm, left column: 30 μm; (c) first row: 50 μm, 2nd row: 40 μm, 3rd row: 40 μm.