Abstract

The blood–brain barrier (BBB), located at the level of the brain microvessels plays a critical role in maintaining brain homeostasis, but poses a significant obstacle to the delivery of drugs to the brain. Because of its critical role in neuro-pharmacotherapy, the BBB has been extensively studied since its discovery over a century ago, leading to major advancements in understanding its structure and function. Efforts have been made to redesign drugs to penetrate the BBB effectively. However, achieving efficient and safe drug delivery to the brain remains a significant challenge.

Most BBB research traditionally views it as a homogeneous structure across different brain regions, but this oversimplification may hinder a comprehensive understanding of its function, leading to potential therapeutic limitations.

To address this, we analyzed the gene and protein expression profiles of the BBB in brain microvessels isolated from two distinct regions of the mouse brain: the cortex and the hippocampus. Our analysis focused on the expression levels of inter-endothelial junctional proteins, ABC transporters, and BBB receptors.

Our results revealed notable regional differences in BBB gene and protein expression, highlighting the importance of recognizing this regional variability in future research. Such recognition will help in the development of more effective strategies for drug delivery and the treatment of brain diseases.

Biography

Dr Rania Harati is associate professor at the College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. She completed her PhD in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology from Paris-Sud University (Paris-Saclay) and postdoctoral studies at the Pierre and Marie Curie University (Sorbonne University) in Paris, France. Her research work is focused on understanding the regulation of the blood-brain barrier in health and disease.