Oliveira, Jade deEngel, Daiane FátimaPaula, Gabriela Cristina deGodoi, Danúbia Bonfanti dos Santos deLopes, Jadna BogadoFarina, MarceloMoreira, Eduardo Luiz GasnharBem, Andreza Fabro de2022-12-152022-12-152020OLIVEIRA, J. de. et al. High cholesterol diet exacerbates blood-brain barrier disruption in LDLr–/– mice: impact on cognitive function. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, v. 78, p. 97-115, 2020. Disponível em: <https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad200541>. Acesso em: 11 out. 2022.1875-8908http://www.repositorio.ufop.br/jspui/handle/123456789/15918Background: Evidence has revealed an association between familial hypercholesterolemia and cognitive impairment. In this regard, a connection between cognitive deficits and hippocampal blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown was found in low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice (LDLr–/–), a mouse model of familial hypercholesterolemia. Objective: Herein we investigated the impact of a hypercholesterolemic diet on cognition and BBB function in C57BL/6 wild-type and LDLr–/– mice. Methods: Animals were fed with normal or high cholesterol diets for 30 days. Thus, wild-type and LDLr–/– mice were submitted to memory paradigms. Additionally, BBB integrity was evaluated in the mice’s prefrontal cortices and hippocampi. Results: A tenfold elevation in plasma cholesterol levels of LDLr–/– mice was observed after a hypercholesterolemic diet, while in wild-type mice, the hypercholesterolemic diet exposure increased plasma cholesterol levels only moderately and did not induce cognitive impairment. LDLr–/– mice presented memory impairment regardless of the diet. We observed BBB disruption as an increased permeability to sodium fluorescein in the prefrontal cortices and hippocampi and a decrease on hippocampal claudin-5 and occludin mRNA levels in both wild-type and LDLr–/– mice treated with a hypercholesterolemic diet. The LDLr–/– mice fed with a regular diet already presented BBB dysfunction. The BBB-increased leakage in the hippocampi of LDLr–/– mice was related to high microvessel content and intense astrogliosis, which did not occur in the control mice. Conclusion: Therefore, LDLr–/– mice seem to be more susceptible to cognitive impairments and BBB damage induced by exposure to a high cholesterol diet. Finally, BBB disruption appears to be a relevant event in hypercholesterolemia-induced brain alterations.en-USrestritoFamilial hypercholesterolemiaMemory impairmentMild cognitive impairmentNeuroinflammationArtigo publicado em periodicohttps://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad200541https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-200541