Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 28, 2025

High-resolution Confocal Imaging of the Blood-brain Barrier: Imaging, 3D Reconstruction, and Quantification of Transcytosis
Published on: November 16, 2017
Overview of Crosstalk Between Multiple Factor of Transcytosis in Blood Brain Barrier
Marco Tjakra1, Yeqi Wang1, Vicki Vania1
1Key Laboratory for Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Vascular Implants, Bioengineering College of Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
Abstract:
Blood brain barrier (BBB) conserves unique regulatory system to maintain barrier tightness while allowing adequate transport between neurovascular units. This mechanism possess a challenge for drug delivery, while abnormality may result in pathogenesis. Communication between vascular and neural system is mediated through paracellular and transcellular (transcytosis) pathway. Transcytosis itself showed dependency with various components, focusing on caveolae-mediated. Among several factors, intense communication between endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes is the key for a normal development. Regulatory signaling pathway such as VEGF, Notch, S1P, PDGFβ, Ang/Tie, and TGF-β showed interaction with the transcytosis steps. Recent discoveries showed exploration of various factors which has been proven to interact with one of the process of transcytosis, either endocytosis, endosomal rearrangement, or exocytosis. As well as providing a hypothetical regulatory pathway between each factors, specifically miRNA, mechanical stress, various cytokines, physicochemical, basement membrane and junctions remodeling, and crosstalk between developmental regulatory pathways. Finally, various hypotheses and probable crosstalk between each factors will be expressed, to point out relevant research application (Drug therapy design and BBB-on-a-chip) and unexplored terrain.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Blood-brain Barrier
Physiological Barriers
The blood endothelial barrier is the most porous of these. It allows all small ionized, un-ionized, and lipophilic molecules to pass through the endothelial lining into the interstitial space...
Factors Affecting Drug Distribution: Physiological Barriers
The capillary endothelial barrier allows only smaller molecules below 600 Da (Daltons) to pass through. It also restricts drugs like heparin that are bound to blood components, limiting their movement within the bloodstream.
The...
Transcellular Transport of Solutes
Factors Affecting Drug Distribution: Tissue Permeability
Small molecules with a molecular weight below 500 to 600 Daltons can easily pass through the capillary membrane, gaining access to different tissues. Larger...
Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.

