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The perineurium as a diffusion barrier to protein tracers

Differences between mature and immature animals

Acta Neuropathologica volume 17, pages 127–138 (1971)Cite this article

Summary

A study was made on the permeability of the sciatic nerve sheaths to various protein tracers in mature and immature animals. Albumin labelled with a fluorescent marker and injected around the sciatic nerve ofadult mice and rats did not penetrate the perineurium to reach the endoneurium. Insuckling mice and rats, the same tracer penetrated the perineurium and spread in the endoneurium of the sciatic nerve. A similar difference in permeability was found when horseradish peroxidase was used as a protein tracer. Newborn guinea pigs, on the other hand, showed a fully developed barrier function of the nerve sheaths to proteins.

The difference in permeability between mature and immature animals was also present when tested 2 hours post mortem, demonstrating that the transfer of tracer into the endoneurium of immature animals is not dependent on an oxygen-consuming active process. It has previously been shown that in adult mice a) the perineurium is the structure to which the barrier function of the nerve sheaths is linked and b) the presence of tight junctions between the perineurial cells prevent intercellular diffusion of protein tracers. Ultrastructural observations showed that gaps are present between the cells forming the perineurial lamellae in the sciatic nerve of newborn mice. Horseradish peroxidase passed through these gaps into the endoneurium when injected around the nerve. The difference in permeability of the nerve sheaths between mature and immature mice is therefore presumably due to differences in the apposition of the perineural cells providing open pathways in the young but not in the adult mice.

Zusammenfassung

Die Permeabilität der Scheiden des N. ischiadicus für verschiedene Proteintracer wurde untersucht. Um den N. ischiadicus injiziertes fluorescenzmarkiertes Albumin tritt beierwachsenen Mäusen und Ratten nicht durch das Perineurium in das Endoneurium ein. BeiSäugmäusen und-ratten hingegen tritt die gleiche Substanz durch das perineurium ein und breitet sich im Endoneurium des N. ischiadicus aus. Ähnliche Unterschiede in der Permeabilität fanden sich nach Verwendung von Meerrettich-Peroxydase als Proteinmarkierungssubstanz. Hingegen zeigten neugeborene Meerschweinchen eine voll entwickelte Barrierefunktion der Nervenscheiden für Proteine.

Die Permeabilitätsunterschiede zwischen reifen und unreifen Tieren fanden sich auch bei Prüfung 2 Std nach dem Tode. Das weist darauf hin, daß der Durchtritt des Tracers in das Endoneurium unreifer Tiere nicht an einem O2-verbrauchenden aktiven Prozeß gebunden ist. Bereits früher wurde gezeigt, daß bei erwachsenen Mäusen a) das Perineurium das strukturelle Substrat der Barrierefunktion der Nervenscheiden darstellt und b) das Vorliegen von “tight junctions” zwischen den Perineuralzellen eine intercelluläre Diffusion von Proteintracern verhindert. Ultrastrukturelle Beobachtungen zeigten, daß sich zwischen den Zellen, welche die perineuralen Lamellen des N. ischiadicus neugeborener Mäuse bilden, Spalten befinden. Die Meerrettich-Peroxydase tritt nach Injektion an den Nerv durch diese Spalten in das Endoneurium ein. Die Unterschiede in der Permeabilität der Nervenscheiden zwischen reifen und unreifen Mäusen beruhen daher vermutlich auf Unterschieden in der Anordnung der Perineuralzellen, die offene Durchtrittswege zwar bei jungen, aber nicht bei erwachsenen Tieren aufweist.

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Affiliations

  1. Neuropathological Laboratory, Department of Pathology I, University of Göteborg, S-413 45, Göteborg, Sweden

    Krister Kristensson & Yngve Olsson

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  1. Krister Kristensson
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  2. Yngve Olsson
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This study was supported by grants B70-12X-82-05 and K70-12X-3020-01A from the Swedish Medical Research Council and by the Swedish Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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Kristensson, K., Olsson, Y. The perineurium as a diffusion barrier to protein tracers. Acta Neuropathol 17, 127–138 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687488

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687488

Key-Words

  • Perineurium
  • Diffusion Barrier
  • Protein Tracers