Blood brain barrier and infection.

J D Chaudhuri1

  • 1Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. joydeep@medicine.med.um.edu.my

Summary

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a protective structure that regulates what enters the brain. It is made of endothelial cells connected by tight junctions and supported by astrocytic foot processes. During infections, the BBB becomes more permeable or is directly invaded by microorganisms. This compromises its protective function and makes treating brain infections difficult because most drugs cannot cross the BBB. The study reviews how infections spread to the brain and suggests ways to improve drug delivery. The authors propose that understanding BBB disruption is essential for developing better treatments for CNS infections.

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