ABSTRACT

Treatments for disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) are currently limited because of the difculty in successfully delivering CNS therapeutics to the brain. The CNS is protected by a barrier known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which regulates brain homeostasis. The BBB restricts access of blood-borne compounds to brain cells, only allowing the entry of molecules that are essential for adequate brain function. This comprehensive gatekeeper action not only ensures the maintenance of a precisely regulated microenvironment for reliable neuronal signaling, but also presents a substantial barrier to the access of therapeutic drug molecules to brain tissue.