Plant-derived triterpene celastrol ameliorates oxygen glucose deprivation-induced disruption of endothelial barrier assembly via inducing tight junction proteins.

BACKGROUND: The integrity and functions of blood-brain barrier (BBB) are regulated by the expression and organization of tight junction proteins.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to explore whether plant-derived triterpenoid celastrol could regulate tight junction integrity in murine brain endothelial bEnd3 cells.

METHODS: We disrupted the tight junctions between endothelial bEnd3 cells by oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD). We investigated the effects of celastrol on the permeability of endothelial monolayers by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). To clarify the tight junction composition, we analyzed the expression of tight junction proteins by RT-PCR and Western blotting techniques.

RESULTS: We found that celastrol recovered OGD-induced TEER loss in a concentration-dependent manner. Celastrol induced occludin, claudin-5 and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in endothelial cells. As a result, celastrol effectively maintained tight junction integrity and inhibited macrophage migration through endothelial monolayers against OGD challenge. Further mechanistic studies revealed that celastrol induced the expression of occludin and ZO-1) via activating MAPKs and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. We also observed that celastrol regulated claudin-5 expression through different mechanisms.

CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that celastrol effectively protected tight junction integrity against OGD-induced damage. Thus, celastrol could be a drug candidate for the treatment of BBB dysfunction in various diseases.