Astrocytic VEGFA: An essential mediator in blood-brain-barrier disruption in Parkinson's disease

The integrity of blood-brain-barrier (BBB) is essential for normal brain functions, synaptic remodeling, and angiogenesis. BBB disruption is a common pathology during Parkinson's disease (PD), and has been hypothesized to contribute to the progression of PD. However, the molecular mechanism of BBB disruption in PD needs further investigation. Here, A53T PD mouse and a 3-cell type in vitro BBB model were used to study the roles of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) in BBB disruption with the key results confirmed in the brains of PD patients obtained at autopsy. The A53T PD mouse studies showed that the expression of tight junction-related proteins decreased, along with increased vascular permeability and accumulation of oligomeric alpha-syn in activated astrocytes in the brain. The in vitro BBB model studies demonstrated that treatment with oligomeric alpha-syn, but riot monomeric or fibrillar alpha-syn, resulted in significant disruption of BBB integrity. This process involved the expression and release of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and nitric oxide (NO) from oligomeric alpha-syn treated astrocytes. Increased levels of VEGFA and iNOS were also observed in the brain of PD patients. Blocking the VEGFA signaling pathway in the in vitro BBB model effectively protected the barrier against the harmful effects of oligomeric alpha-syn. Finally, the protective effects on BBB integrity associated with inhibition of VEGFA signaling pathway was also confirmed in PD mice. Taken together, our study concluded that oligomeric alpha-syn is critically involved in PD-associated BBB disruption, in a process that is mediated by astrocyte-derived VEGFA.