Unique intercellular junctional complexes between the central nervous system (CNS) microvascular endothelial cells and the choroid plexus epithelial cells form the endothelial blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the epithelial blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB), respectively. These barriers inhibit paracellular diffusion, thereby protecting the CNS from fluctuations in the blood. Studies of br...

Blood–brain barrier function is driven by the influence of astrocyte-secreted factors. During neuroinflammatory responses the blood–brain barrier is compromised resulting in central nervous system damage and exacerbated pathology. Here, we identified endothelial netrin 1 induction as a vascular response to astrocyte-derived sonic hedgehog that promotes autocrine barrier properties during homeos...

Blood–brain barrier function is driven by the influence of astrocyte-secreted factors. During neuroinflammatory responses the blood–brain barrier is compromised resulting in central nervous system damage and exacerbated pathology. Here, we identified endothelial netrin 1 induction as a vascular response to astrocyte-derived sonic hedgehog that promotes autocrine barrier properties during homeos...

Due to the ability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to prevent the entry of drugs into the brain, it is a challenge to treat central nervous system disorders pharmacologically. The development of nanotechnology provides potential to overcome this problem. In this review, the barriers to brain-targeted drug delivery are reviewed, including the BBB, blood-brain tumor barrier (BBTB), and nose-to-b...

Manganese occupational and dietary overexposure has been shown to result in specific clinical central nervous system syndromes, which are similar to those observed in Parkinson disease. To date, modes of neurotoxic action of Mn are still to be elucidated but are thought to be strongly related to Mn accumulation in brain and oxidative stress. However, the pathway and the exact process of Mn upta...

Background and Purpose: We studied the influence of reperfusion on carrier and barrier functions of the blood-brain barrier after transient global ischemia in rats. Methods: We used iodine-125-labeled 3-iodo-a-methyl-L-tyrosine and carbon-14-labeled sucrose as tracers for studying carrier and barrier functions of the blood-brain barrier, respectively. Brain uptakes of these two tracers were mea...

The chemical and electrical microenvironment of neurons within the central nervous system is protected and segregated from the circulation by the vascular blood-brain barrier. This barrier operates on the level of endothelial cells and includes regulatory crosstalk with neighboring pericytes, astrocytes, and neurons. Within this neurovascular unit, the endothelial cells form a formidable, highl...

Acute hypertension disrupts the blood-brain barrier and may neutralize the negative charge on cerebral endothelium. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of molecular charge on permeability of the blood-brain barrier during acute hypertension. Intravital fluorescent microscopy and fluorescein-labeled dextrans were used to evaluate disruption of the blood-brain barrier during acute...

BACKGROUND The blood-brain barrier represents the selective diffusion barrier at the level of the cerebral microvascular endothelium. Other functions of blood-brain barrier include transport, signaling and osmoregulation. Endothelial cells interact with surrounding astrocytes, pericytes and neurons. These interactions are crucial to the development, structural integrity and function of the cere...

Despite scientific advances in understanding the causes and treatment of human malignancy, a persistent challenge facing basic and clinical investigators is how to adequately treat primary and metastatic brain tumors. The blood-brain barrier is a physiologic obstruction to the delivery of systemic chemotherapy to the brain parenchyma and central nervous system (CNS). A number of physiologic pro...