BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. IAH leads to intra-abdominal tissue damage and causes dysfunction in distal organs such as the brain. The effect of a combined injury due to IAH and traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) has not been investigated.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring, brain water content, EB permeability detection, immunofluorescence staining, real-time PCR, and Western blot analysis were used to examine the effects of IAH and TBI on the BBB in rats, and to characterize the protective effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on combined injury-induced BBB damage.

RESULTS: Combined injury from IAH and TBI to the BBB resulted in brain edema and increased intracranial pressure. The effects of bFGF on alleviating the rat BBB injuries were determined, indicating that bFGF regulated the expression levels of the tight junction (TJ), adhesion junction (AJ), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), and IL-1β, as well as reduced BBB permeability, brain edema, and intracranial pressure. Moreover, the FGFR1 antagonist PD 173074 and the ERK antagonist PD 98059 decreased the protective effects of bFGF.

CONCLUSIONS: bFGF effectively protected the BBB from damage caused by combined injury from IAH and TBI, and binding of FGFR1 and activation of the ERK signaling pathway was involved in these effects.

Keywords: Blood-Brain Barrier, Brain Injuries, intra-abdominal hypertension, Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1, Brain Edema, Brain Injuries, Traumatic, endothelial cells, Fibroblast Growth Factor 2, Intracranial Pressure, Matrix Metalloproteinases, Microvessels, Permeability, Phosphorylation, Protective Agents, Protein Binding, Tight Junction Proteins