Mechanistic analysis of iron accumulation by endothelial cells of the BBB

The mechanism(s) by which iron in blood is transported across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains controversial. Here we have examined the first step of this trans-cellular pathway, namely the mechanism(s) of iron uptake into human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMVEC). We show that hBMVEC actively reduce non-transferrin bound Fe-III (NTBI) and transferrin-bound Fe-III (TBI); this activity is associated with one or more ferrireductases. Efficient, exo-cytoplasmic ferri-reduction from TBI is dependent upon transferrin receptor (TfR), also. Blocking holo-Tf binding with an anti-TfR antibody significantly decreases the reduction of iron from transferrin by hBMVEC, suggesting that holo-Tf needs to bind to TfR in order for efficient reduction to occur. Ferri-reduction from TBI significantly decreases when hBMVEC are pre-treated with Pt-II, an inhibitor of cell surface reductase activity. Uptake of Fe-59 from Fe-59-Tf by endothelial cells is inhibited by 50 % when ferrozine is added to solution; in contrast, no inhibition occurs when cells are alkalinized with NH4Cl. This indicates that the iron reduced from holo-transferrin at the plasma membrane accounts for at least 50 % of the iron uptake observed. hBMVEC-dependent reduction and uptake of NTBI utilizes a Pt-II-insensitive reductase. Reductase-independent uptake of Fe-II by hBMVEC is inhibited up to 50 % by Zn-II and/or Mn-II by a saturable process suggesting that redundant Fe-II transporters exist in the hBMVEC plasma membrane. These results are the first to demonstrate multiple mechanism(s) of TBI and NTBI reduction and uptake by endothelial cells (EC) of the BBB.