scholarly journals Neurological Diseases in Relation to the Blood–Brain Barrier

2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 1139-1151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary A Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Free Radicals ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Neurovascular Unit ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Cellular Damage ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Acute Injury ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
The Brain

Disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) has an important part in cellular damage in neurological diseases, including acute and chronic cerebral ischemia, brain trauma, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, and brain infections. The neurovascular unit (NVU) forms the interface between the blood and brain tissues. During an injury, the cascade of molecular events ends in the final common pathway for BBB disruption by free radicals and proteases, which attack membranes and degrade the tight junction proteins in endothelial cells. Free radicals of oxygen and nitrogen and the proteases, matrix metalloproteinases and cyclooxgyenases, are important in the early and delayed BBB disruption as the neuroinflammatory response progresses. Opening of the BBB occurs in neurodegenerative diseases and contributes to the cognitive changes. In addition to the importance of the NVU in acute injury, angiogenesis contributes to the recovery process. The challenges to treatment of the brain diseases involve not only facilitating drug entry into the brain, but also understanding the timing of the molecular cascades to block the early NVU injury without interfering with recovery. This review will describe the molecular and cellular events associated with NVU disruption and potential strategies directed toward restoring its integrity.

scholarly journals Targeting microRNAs to Regulate the Integrity of the Blood–Brain Barrier

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juntao Wang ◽  
Fang Xu ◽  
Xiaoming Zhu ◽  
Xianghua Li ◽  
Yankun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurovascular Unit ◽  
Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Important Regulator

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly specialized neurovascular unit that protects the brain from potentially harmful substances. In addition, the BBB also engages in the exchange of essential nutrients between the vasculature and brain parenchyma, which is critical for brain homeostasis. Brain diseases, including neurological disorders and cerebrovascular diseases, are often associated with disrupted BBB integrity, evidenced by increased permeability. Therefore, defining the mechanisms underlying the regulation of BBB integrity is crucial for the development of novel therapeutics targeting brain diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNA), a type of small non-coding RNAs, are emerging as an important regulator of BBB integrity. Here we review recent developments related to the role of miRNAs in regulating BBB integrity.

scholarly journals Nose-to-Brain Delivery

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Giunchedi ◽  
Elisabetta Gavini ◽  
Maria Cristina Bonferoni
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Systemic Administration ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Brain Delivery ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Drug Bioavailability ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
The Brain

Nose-to-brain delivery represents a big challenge. In fact there is a large number of neurological diseases that require therapies in which the drug must reach the brain, avoiding the difficulties due to the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and the problems connected with systemic administration, such as drug bioavailability and side-effects. For these reasons the development of nasal formulations able to deliver the drug directly into the brain is of increasing importance. This Editorial regards the contributions present in the Special Issue “Nose-to-Brain Delivery”.

scholarly journals Photodynamic Opening of the Blood–Brain Barrier Using Different Photosensitizers in Mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oxana Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya ◽  
Ekaterina Borisova ◽  
Vanya Mantareva ◽  
Ivan Angelov ◽  
Ivelina Eneva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tight Junction ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Confocal Imaging ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Zinc Phthalocyanine ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Dextran 70 ◽  
The Brain

In a series of previous studies, we demonstrated that the photodynamic therapy (PDT), as a widely used tool for treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), also site-specifically opens the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in PDT-dose and age-related manner via reversible disorganization of the tight junction machinery. To develop the effective protocol of PDT-opening of the BBB, here we answer the question of what kind of photosensitizer (PS) is the most effective for the BBB opening. We studied the PDT-opening of the BBB in healthy mice using commercial photosensitizers (PSs) such as 5-aminolevulenic acid (5-ALA), aluminum phthalocyanine disulfonate (AlPcS), zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and new synthetized PSs such as galactose functionalized ZnPc (GalZnPc). The spectrofluorimetric assay of Evans Blue albumin complex (EBAC) leakage and 3-D confocal imaging of FITC-dextran 70 kDa (FITCD) extravasation clearly shows a revisable and dose depended PDT-opening of the BBB to EBAC and FITCD associated with a decrease in presence of tight junction (TJ) in the vascular endothelium. The PDT effects on the BBB permeability, TJ expression and the fluorescent signal from the brain tissues are more pronounced in PDT-GalZnPc vs. PDT-5-ALA/AlPcS/ZnPc. These pre-clinical data are the first important informative platform for an optimization of the PDT protocol in the light of new knowledge about PDT-opening of the BBB for drug brain delivery and for the therapy of brain diseases.

scholarly journals From Blood to the Brain: Can Systemically Transplanted Mesenchymal Stem Cells Cross the Blood-Brain Barrier?

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linan Liu ◽  
Mark A. Eckert ◽  
Hamidreza Riazifar ◽  
Dong-Ku Kang ◽  
Dritan Agalliu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽  
Brain Tumors ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Inflammatory Diseases ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
The Brain

Systemically infused mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging therapeutics for treating stroke, acute injuries, and inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), as well as brain tumors due to their regenerative capacity and ability to secrete trophic, immune modulatory, or other engineered therapeutic factors. It is hypothesized that transplanted MSCs home to and engraft at ischemic and injured sites in the brain in order to exert their therapeutic effects. However, whether MSCs possess the ability to migrate across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that separates the blood from the brain remains unresolved. This review analyzes recent advances in this area in an attempt to elucidate whether systemically infused MSCs are able to actively transmigrate across the CNS endothelium, particularly under conditions of injury or stroke. Understanding the fate of transplanted MSCs and their CNS trafficking mechanisms will facilitate the development of more effective stem-cell-based therapeutics and drug delivery systems to treat neurological diseases and brain tumors.

scholarly journals Human pluripotent stem cell-derived brain pericyte-like cells induce blood-brain barrier properties

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Stebbins ◽  
Benjamin D. Gastfriend ◽  
Scott G. Canfield ◽  
Ming-Song Lee ◽  
Drew Richards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Neurovascular Unit ◽  
Human Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Brain Pericytes ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACTBrain pericytes play an important role in the formation and maintenance of the neurovascular unit (NVU), and their dysfunction has been implicated in central nervous system (CNS) disorders. While human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been used to model other components of the NVU including brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), astrocytes, and neurons, cells having brain pericyte-like phenotypes have not been described. In this study, we generated neural crest stem cells (NCSCs), the embryonic precursor to forebrain pericytes, from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and subsequently differentiated NCSCs to brain pericyte-like cells. The brain pericyte-like cells expressed marker profiles that closely resembled primary human brain pericytes, and they self-assembled with endothelial cells to support vascular tube formation. Importantly, the brain pericyte-like cells induced blood-brain barrier (BBB) properties in BMECs, including barrier enhancement and reduction of transcytosis. Finally, brain pericyte-like cells were incorporated with iPSC-derived BMECs, astrocytes, and neurons to form an isogenic human NVU model that should prove useful for the study of the BBB in CNS health, disease, and therapy.

scholarly journals Blood-Brain Barrier Therapeutics for Neurological Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aarushi Sahni ◽  
Nicole Katchur
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Neuroinflammatory Response ◽  
Selective Filter ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
The Brain

The Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) is a highly selective filter responsible for allowing certain gases such as oxygen and lipid-soluble molecules to pass (Anand 2014). Its selectiveness makes it challenging for many therapeutics to combat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease with external drug therapies. Large-molecule drug therapies never pass the BBB while small-molecule drugs pass only about 5% of the time (Pardridge 2005). In Alzheimer’s disease, tight junctions between endothelial cells degrade, causing an unregulated accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein (Ramanathan 2015). Consequently, this leads to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles that cut off the nutrient supply to the brain cells and kill neurons (Ramanathan 2015). In Parkinson’s disease, astrocyte mutations cause a build-up of α-synuclein (αSyn) which affects the neuroinflammatory response and causes dysfunction in dopaminergic neurons (Booth 2017; Meade 2019). New drug therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s continue to undergo trials; some such as FPS-ZM1 and tilavonemab for Alzheimer’s and Ravicti for Parkinson’s have shown promising results. In addition, similarities in dysfunction for both diseases and some types of cancer have sparked possibilities in retargeting cancer drugs to improve Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s pathologies. This review will summarize current therapeutic advancements for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and their possible future contributions.

scholarly journals A Reevaluation of Chitosan-Decorated Nanoparticles to Cross the Blood-Brain Barrier

Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hernán Cortés ◽  
Sergio Alcalá-Alcalá ◽  
Isaac H. Caballero-Florán ◽  
Sergio A. Bernal-Chávez ◽  
Arturo Ávalos-Fuentes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Dynamic Interface ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a sophisticated and very selective dynamic interface composed of endothelial cells expressing enzymes, transport systems, and receptors that regulate the passage of nutrients, ions, oxygen, and other essential molecules to the brain, regulating its homeostasis. Moreover, the BBB performs a vital function in protecting the brain from pathogens and other dangerous agents in the blood circulation. Despite its crucial role, this barrier represents a difficult obstacle for the treatment of brain diseases because many therapeutic agents cannot cross it. Thus, different strategies based on nanoparticles have been explored in recent years. Concerning this, chitosan-decorated nanoparticles have demonstrated enormous potential for drug delivery across the BBB and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, gliomas, cerebral ischemia, and schizophrenia. Our main objective was to highlight the high potential of chitosan adsorption to improve the penetrability through the BBB of nanoformulations for diseases of CNS. Therefore, we describe the BBB structure and function, as well as the routes of chitosan for crossing it. Moreover, we define the methods of decoration of nanoparticles with chitosan and provide numerous examples of their potential utilization in a variety of brain diseases. Lastly, we discuss future directions, mentioning the need for extensive characterization of proposed nanoformulations and clinical trials for evaluation of their efficacy.

scholarly journals Blood–Brain Barrier and Neurodegenerative Diseases—Modeling with iPSC-Derived Brain Cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7710
Author(s):  
Ying-Chieh Wu ◽  
Tuuli-Maria Sonninen ◽  
Sanni Peltonen ◽  
Jari Koistinaho ◽  
Šárka Lehtonen
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
The Brain

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) regulates the delivery of oxygen and important nutrients to the brain through active and passive transport and prevents neurotoxins from entering the brain. It also has a clearance function and removes carbon dioxide and toxic metabolites from the central nervous system (CNS). Several drugs are unable to cross the BBB and enter the CNS, adding complexity to drug screens targeting brain disorders. A well-functioning BBB is essential for maintaining healthy brain tissue, and a malfunction of the BBB, linked to its permeability, results in toxins and immune cells entering the CNS. This impairment is associated with a variety of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Here, we summarize current knowledge about the BBB in neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, we focus on recent progress of using human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived models to study the BBB. We review the potential of novel stem cell-based platforms in modeling the BBB and address advances and key challenges of using stem cell technology in modeling the human BBB. Finally, we highlight future directions in this area.

scholarly journals Lab-on-a-Chip Platforms as Tools for Drug Screening in Neuropathologies Associated with Blood–Brain Barrier Alterations

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 916
Author(s):  
Cristina Elena Staicu ◽  
Florin Jipa ◽  
Emanuel Axente ◽  
Mihai Radu ◽  
Beatrice Mihaela Radu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Neurovascular Unit ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Pharmacological Screening ◽  
The Brain

Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) and organ-on-a-chip (OOC) devices are highly versatile platforms that enable miniaturization and advanced controlled laboratory functions (i.e., microfluidics, advanced optical or electrical recordings, high-throughput screening). The manufacturing advancements of LOCs/OOCs for biomedical applications and their current limitations are briefly discussed. Multiple studies have exploited the advantages of mimicking organs or tissues on a chip. Among these, we focused our attention on the brain-on-a-chip, blood–brain barrier (BBB)-on-a-chip, and neurovascular unit (NVU)-on-a-chip applications. Mainly, we review the latest developments of brain-on-a-chip, BBB-on-a-chip, and NVU-on-a-chip devices and their use as testing platforms for high-throughput pharmacological screening. In particular, we analyze the most important contributions of these studies in the field of neurodegenerative diseases and their relevance in translational personalized medicine.

scholarly journals Central nervous system diseases associated with blood brain barrier breakdown - A Comprehensive update of existing literatures

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 053-062
Author(s):  
Dutta Rajib
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Barrier Breakdown ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier Breakdown

Blood vessels that supply and feed the central nervous system (CNS) possess unique and exclusive properties, named as blood–brain barrier (BBB). It is responsible for tight regulation of the movement of ions, molecules, and cells between the blood and the brain thereby maintaining controlled chemical composition of the neuronal milieu required for appropriate functioning. It also protects the neural tissue from toxic plasma components, blood cells and pathogens from entering the brain. In this review the importance of BBB and its disruption causing brain pathology and progression to different neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s disease (HD) etc. will be discussed.

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