ELISA Detection of Endogenous Serum Albumin in the Mouse Brain: A Measure of Extravasation Following Brain Injury

Abstract

After stroke and brain contusion, serum proteins extravasate into nerve tissue through disrupted blood-brain barrier (BBB). Because extravasations of serum proteins result in vasogenic brain edema, serum albumin level in the brain is an indicator of BBB disruption and brain edema after brain insults. In this protocol, extravasation of endogenous albumin is measured in the damaged mouse brain, which would be valuable in the evaluation of vasogenic brain edema formation (Michinaga et al., 2014).