Changes in the blood-brain barrier in experimental cirrhosis of the liver

Light and electron microscopic studies on Wistar rats with experimental cirrhosis produced by tetrachloromethane demonstrate strongly marked changes in the blood-brain barrier, particularly in capillaries and vascular pedicles of astrocytes. It is pointed out that destabilization of the blood-brain barrier favors the transfer of cerebral toxins and other metabolic poisons across this barrier. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 7, pp. 86–88, July, 1994 Presented by I. P. Ashmarin, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences