Cerebrovascular and blood-brain barrier morphology in spontaneously XXXX @entity35 : effect of treatment with choline alphoscerate.

@entity1545 @entity101 @entity303 @entity73 @entity1504 @entity71674 @entity6096 @entity35
Cholinergic precursors increasing choline availability and acetylcholine synthesis/release may represent a therapeutic approach for countering @entity73 occurring in adult-onset @entity303 . Choline alphoscerate (alpha-gliceryl-phosphoryl-choline, @entity71674 ) is among cholinergic precursors the most effective in enhancing acetylcholine biosynthesis and release in animal models. This study was designed to assess if a long-term treatment with @entity71674 modify cerebrovascular components [perivascular astrocytes, blood-brain barrier (BBB) and microvessels] and endothelial inflammatory markers expression in spontaneously @entity101 @entity35 (SHR) used as a model of @entity1545 . Male SHR aged 32 weeks and age-matched normotensive @entity35 -Kyoto @entity35 were treated for 4 weeks with @entity71674 (150 mg/kg/day) or a vehicle. Intracerebral arteries of different brain areas, perivascular astrocytes, BBB and endothelial inflammatory markers were assessed by quantitative morphological and immunohistochemical techniques. No significant changes in the size of perivascular astrocytes were observed in SHR versus normotensive @entity35 -Kyoto @entity35 , whereas the expression of the BBB marker @entity6096 increased in SHR. This phenomenon was countered by @entity71674 treatment. On the contrary, @entity71674 has no vasodilator effect on brain micro-vessels. Endothelial markers and vascular adhesion molecules expression were not homogeneously affected by @entity101 and @entity71674 treatment in intracerebral vessels. The observation that treatment with @entity71674 reversed BBB changes and countered to some extent micro-vessels changes occurring in SHR could explain data of clinical trials reporting an improvement of cognitive function in subjects suffering from @entity1504 and treated with @entity71674 . These preclinical data suggest that the compound could have a cerebrovascular protective effect deserving a further characterization.
