Alteration of BBB tight junction protein expression induced by EMP exposure

In this study, we examined the effects of exposure to electromagnetic pulse(EMP) on the functional integrity of the BBB and, on the expression of tight junction (TJ) protein (occludin, ZO-1) in rats. Animals were whole body exposed or sham exposed to EMP at 200 kV/m for 400 pulses. The permeability of BBB was examined using Evans Blue (EB) as vascular tracer. The expression of the level of TJ proteins were assessed by western blot. The data indicated that EMP exposure caused increased permeability of BBB and decreased levels of TJ protein ZO-1. These results suggested that the alteration of ZO-1 may play an important role in the disruption of tight junctions, which may lead to dysfunction of the BBB after EMP exposure.