Carrier-Mediated Process of Putrescine Elimination at the Rat Blood–Retinal Barrier

Putrescine is a bioactive polyamine. Its retinal concentration is strictly controlled to maintain a healthy sense of vision. The present study investigated putrescine transport at the blood–retinal barrier (BRB) to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of putrescine regulation in the retina. Our microdialysis study showed that the elimination rate constant during the terminal phase was significantly greater (1.90-fold) than that of [(14)C]D-mannitol, which is a bulk flow marker. The difference in the apparent elimination rate constants of [(3)H]putrescine and [(14)C]D-mannitol was significantly decreased by unlabeled putrescine and spermine, suggesting active putrescine transport from the retina to the blood across the BRB. Our study using model cell lines of the inner and outer BRB showed that [(3)H]putrescine transport was time-, temperature-, and concentration-dependent, suggesting the involvement of carrier-mediated processes in putrescine transport at the inner and outer BRB. [(3)H]Putrescine transport was significantly reduced under Na(+)-free, Cl(−)-free, and K(+)-replacement conditions, and attenuated by polyamines or organic cations such as choline, a choline transporter-like protein (CTL) substrate. Rat CTL1 cRNA-injected oocytes exhibited marked alterations in [(3)H]putrescine uptake, and CTL1 knockdown significantly reduced [(3)H]putrescine uptake in model cell lines, suggesting the possible participation of CTL1 in putrescine transport at the BRB.