Blood–brain barrier dysfunction in mice induced by lipopolysaccharide is attenuated by dapsone

• LPS-induced BBB leakage in mice was suppressed by dapsone.
• Expression of tight junction proteins was restored by dapsone.
• ROS level in brain vessels was decreased by dapsone.
• NOX2 expression and NADPH oxidase activity were reduced by dapsone.

Blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction is a key event in the development of many central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as septic encephalopathy and stroke. 4,4′-Diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS, Dapsone) has displayed neuroprotective effect, but whether DDS has protective role on BBB integrity is not clear. This study was designed to examine the effect of DDS on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BBB disruption and oxidative stress in brain vessels. Using in vivo multiphoton imaging, we found that DDS administration significantly restored BBB integrity compromised by LPS. DDS also increased the expression of tight junction proteins occludin, zona occludens-1 (ZO-1) and claudin-5 in brain vessels. Level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was reduced by DDS treatment, which may due to decreased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity and NOX2 expression. Our results showed that LPS-induced BBB dysfunction could be attenuated by DDS, indicated that DDS has a therapeutic potential for treating CNS infection and other BBB related diseases.