Glucose transporters in the blood-brain barrier

Abstract

The central nervous system and peripheral nerves are guarded against free access from the outside by the blood-brain, blood-cerebrospinal fluid and blood-nerve barriers. The glucose transporter GLUT1 mediates the specific transfer of glucose across these barriers while GLUT3 is a high-affinity isoform of Type I glucose transporter expressed mostly in neurons where it is believed to be the main glucose transporter isoform. As for a long time it was an open question whether GLUT1 and GLUT3 are present in the olfactory system, the aim of the present study was to give answers to these questions. In the study mucous membranes of the olfactory region of 20 male Wistar rats were studied by double immunofluorescence labeling. As the result of the study, the immunolocalization of glucose transporters GLUT1 in the endothelial cells of the olfactory mucosa and GLUT3 expression in olfactory receptor neurons were detected.