Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39934799›Full record

ArticleBMC biology2025

Species-specific blood-brain barrier permeability in amphibians.

Sophie Antesberger, Beate Stiening, Michael Forsthofer, Alberto Joven Araus, Elif Eroglu, Jonas Huber, Martin Heß, Hans Straka, Rosario Sanchez-Gonzalez

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Sophie AntesbergerGraduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg, Germany.
Beate StieningFaculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg, Germany.
Michael ForsthoferDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Sussex, Brighton and Hove, UK.
Alberto Joven ArausDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Elif ErogluDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Jonas HuberFaculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg, Germany.
Martin HeßFaculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg, Germany.
Hans StrakaFaculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg, Germany.
Rosario Sanchez-GonzalezFaculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg, Germany. rosario.sanchez@bio.lmu.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a semipermeable interface that prevents the non-selective transport into the central nervous system. It controls the delivery of macromolecules fueling the brain metabolism and the immunological surveillance. The BBB permeability is locally regulated depending on the physiological requirements, maintaining the tissue homeostasis and influencing pathological conditions. Given its relevance in vertebrate CNS, it is surprising that little is known about the BBB in Amphibians, some of which are capable of adult CNS regeneration.

resultsThe BBB size threshold of the anuran Xenopus laevis (African clawed toad), as well as two urodele species, Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl) and Pleurodeles waltl (Iberian ribbed newt), was evaluated under physiological conditions through the use of synthetic tracers. We detected important differences between the analyzed species. Xenopus exhibited a BBB with characteristics more similar to those observed in mammals, whereas the BBB of axolotl was found to be permeable to the 1 kDa tracer. The permeability of the 1 kDa tracer measured in Pleurodeles showed values in between axolotl and Xenopus vesseks. We confirmed that these differences are species-specific and not related to metamorphosis. In line with these results, the tight junction protein Claudin-5 was absent in axolotl, intermediate in Pleurodeles and showed full-coverage in Xenopus vessels. Interestingly, electron microscopy analysis and the retention pattern of the larger tracers (3 and 70 kDa) demonstrated that axolotl endothelial cells exhibit higher rates of macropinocytosis, a non-regulated type of transcellular transport.

conclusionsOur study demonstrated that, under physiological conditions, the blood-brain barrier exhibited species-specific variations, including permeability threshold, blood vessel coverage, and macropinocytosis rate. Future studies are needed to test whether the higher permeability observed in salamanders could have metabolic and immunological consequences contributing to their remarkable regenerative capacity.

Indexed as

Ambystoma mexicanumBlood-Brain BarrierXenopus laevisAnimalsPermeabilitySpecies SpecificityAmbystoma mexicanumParacellular transportPleurodeles waltlTranscytosisXenopus laevis

Identifiers

PMID39934799
PMCPMC11817546

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.