Optimized Enrichment of Murine Blood-Brain Barrier Vessels with a Critical Focus on Network Hierarchy in Post-Collection Analysis

Abstract

Cerebrovascular networks contain a unique region of interconnected capillaries known as the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Positioned between upstream arteries and downstream veins, these microvessels have unique structural features, such as the absence of vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) and a relatively thin basement membrane, to facilitate highly efficient yet selective exchange between the circulation and the brain interstitium. This vital role in neurological health and function has garnered significant attention from the scientific community and inspired methodology for enriching BBB capillaries. Extensive characterization of the isolates from such protocols is essential for framing the results of follow-on experiments and analyses, providing the most accurate interpretation and assignment of BBB properties. Seeking to aid in these efforts, here we visually screened output samples using fluorescent labels and found considerable reduction of non-vascular cells following density gradient centrifugation (DGC) and subsequent filtration. Comparatively, this protocol enriched brain capillaries, though larger diameter vessels associated with vSMCs could not be fully excluded. Protein analysis further underscored the enrichment of vascular markers following DGC, with filtration preserving BBB-associated markers and reducing – though not fully removing – arterial/venous contributions. Transcriptional profiling followed similar trends of DGC plus filtration generating isolates with less non-vascular and non-capillary material included. Considering vascular network hierarchy inspired a more comprehensive assessment of the material yielded from brain microvasculature isolation protocols. This approach is important for providing an accurate representation of the cerebrovascular segments being used for data collection and assigning BBB properties specifically to capillaries relative to other regions of the brain vasculature.