Abstract: Objective To investigate the influence of sleep deprivation (SD) on blood-brain barrier in adult male rats. Methods A total of 90 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into SD group, SD and recovery (SDR) group and control (K) group. SD group and SDR group were continuously deprived of sleep for five days by horizontal table, and then, SDR group were fed normally for two days after SD. K group accepted no intervention. The leakage of Evens Blue (EB) in brain was observed after EB perfusion. The expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), Occluding, Claudin-5, Bax/BCL-2, P53 and caspase-3 in the cortex was detected with Western blotting. The apoptosis of neurons and endothelial cells in cortex was observed with immunofluorescence staining. Results In SD group, EB was observed in multiple cerebral lobe and extensive cortex, and it was also observed in SDR group in a milder way, but not observed in K group. The expression of P53, Caspase-3, Bax/BCL-2 in the cerebral cortex was the most in SD group, and the least in K group; while the expression of ZO-1, Occluding and Claudin-5 was the least in SD group, and the most in K group, and it was in-between in SDR group (F > 39.915, P < 0.001). The CD₃₁ and NeuN positive cells decreased in cortex were the least in SD group, and the most in K group, while the TUNEL positive cells were the most in SD group, and the least in K group, and the levels of CD₃₁, NeuN and TUNEL positive cells were in-between in SDR group (F > 142.056, P < 0.001). Conclusion SD may lead to dysfunction of permeability of blood-brain barrier, while decrease expression of tight junction protein, and increase apoptosis of neurons in rats to reduce the neurons and endothelial cells in cerebral cortex. Sleep recovery may partly alleviate these impacts.

Key words: sleep deprivation, blood-brain barrier, tight junction protein, apoptosis, sleep recovery, rats