4-(2-Aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride attenuates tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha-induced blood-brain barrier opening.

The effect of serine protease inhibitor 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride (AEBSF) was investigated on the prevention of tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced blood-brain barrier opening. TNF-alpha (10,000 IU) was injected intracarotidly to newborn pigs pretreated with 0, 2.4, 4.8, 9.6 and 19.2 mg/kg AEBSF (n = 6 in each group). AEBSF dose-dependently inhibited the TNF-alpha-induced increase in the blood-brain barrier permeability for sodium fluorescein (MW = 376) in all of the five brain regions examined, while only 19.2 mg/kg AEBSF could significantly (P < 0.05) decrease the change in Evan's blue-albumin (MW = 67,000) transport in two regions. In conclusion, AEBSF attenuates vasogenic brain edema formation.