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Blood-Brain Barrier

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cell2951 wordssynced 2026-04-02

Blood-Brain Barrier

Introduction

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly specialized, dynamic interface that separates the central nervous system (CNS) from the peripheral circulation. This remarkable structure maintains neural homeostasis, protects the brain from pathogens and toxins, and precisely regulates the transport of molecules essential for neuronal function [@abbott2010][@ballabh2004]. The BBB represents one of the most important therapeutic challenges in neurology, as its selective permeability limits drug delivery to the brain—accounting for the failure of approximately 98% of CNS drug candidates in clinical trials [@pardridge2020][@pmid37683629].

flowchart TB subgraph Peripheral["Peripheral Circulation"] A["Blood Vessel Lumen"] --> B["Endothelial Cells"] end subgraph BBB["Blood-Brain Barrier"] B --> C["Tight Junctions"] B --> D["Carrier-Mediated Transport<br/>GLUT1, LAT1"] B --> E["Receptor-Mediated Transport<br/>TfR, InsR"] B --> F["ABC Efflux Transporters<br/>P-gp, BCRP, MRPs"] end subgraph NVU["Neurovascular Unit"] C --> G["Basement Membrane"] G --> H["Pericytes"] H --> I["Astrocyte End-Feet"] I --> J["Neurons"] I --> K["Microglia"] end BBB --> NVU subgraph CNS["Central Nervous System"] J --> L["Brain Parenchyma"] K --> L end NVU --> CNS style BBB fill:#0a1929,color:#e0e0e0 style NVU fill:#e8f5e8,color:#0d0d1a style Peripheral fill:#2d0f0f,color:#e0e0e0 style CNS fill:#1a0a1f,color:#e0e0e0

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