NLRP3-dependent lipid droplet formation contributes to posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus by increasing the permeability of the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier in the choroid plexus

Abstract

Brain hemorrhage: Causes of fluid build-up on the brain Inhibiting a key inflammatory protein and thereby protecting the blood-brain barrier following brain hemorrhage may prevent the build-up of fluid on the brain (hydrocephalus). Using rat models and cell cultures, Yujie Chen and Hua Feng at the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China, and co-workers examined how posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus occurs. They found that the acute inflammatory response activated immediately after a brain hemorrhage, which is driven by a critical protein complex involved in innate immunity called the NLRP3 inflammasome, triggers the formation of lipid droplets in the choroid plexus, a part of the brain adjacent to the blood-brain barrier. The lipid droplets interact with mitochondria, increasing the release of reactive oxygen species and damaging the blood-brain barrier. This barrier dysfunction triggers hydrocephalus. Blocking NLRP3 activity improved the function of the barrier following hemorrhage.