Cell-culture models of the blood-brain barrier

摘要

With the increase in average life span, the percentage of patients with neurological diseases is getting higher and higher.1 Thus, developing effective neuropharmaceuticals is critically important and urgent. Sadly, many promising candidates fail to show expected effects because of their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a dynamic interface that separates the central nervous system (CNS) from the circulation system.1 BBB maintains the homeostasis of CNS microenvironment and proper neurological functions by regulating the exchange of substances between the 2 systems.