Modeling Blood-brain Barrier Pathology in Cerebrovascular Disease in Vitro: Current and Future Paradigms

Overview

Journal Fluids Barriers CNS

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2020 Jul 18

PMID 32677965

Citations 21

Authors

Anuska V Andjelkovic

Svetlana M Stamatovic

Chelsea M Phillips

Gabriela Martinez-Revollar

Richard F Keep

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The complexity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and neurovascular unit (NVU) was and still is a challenge to bridge. A highly selective, restrictive and dynamic barrier, formed at the interface of blood and brain, the BBB is a "gatekeeper" and guardian of brain homeostasis and it also acts as a "sensor" of pathological events in blood and brain. The majority of brain and cerebrovascular pathologies are associated with BBB dysfunction, where changes at the BBB can lead to or support disease development. Thus, an ultimate goal of BBB research is to develop competent and highly translational models to understand mechanisms of BBB/NVU pathology and enable discovery and development of therapeutic strategies to improve vascular health and for the efficient delivery of drugs. This review article focuses on the progress being made to model BBB injury in cerebrovascular diseases in vitro.

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