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American and French researchers carried out experiments on adult mice. Their goal was to find a way to control the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, whose role is precisely to prevent the penetration of certain molecules into the brain.
The role of the blood-brain barrier
The blood-brain barrier serves to isolate and separate the central nervous system from the general bloodstream, forming a chemical and structural boundary between the two. Very selective, it allows a rather strict control of the exchanges which take place between the general blood circulation and the brain. This organ must, in fact, be in a specific environment which is proper to it and which, consequently, differs from the environment of the rest of the organism.
Thus, the blood-brain barrier blocks the passage of molecules considered potentially toxic for the central nervous system, thanks to its filtering power. However, it also prevents the entry of certain medicinal substances, which can be used to treat certain neurological diseases for example. This can therefore be an obstacle to treating patients suffering from this type of pathology.
Nevertheless, scientists from the United States Cardiovascular Research Center, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Paris and Inserm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research) wanted to take up the challenge. They would have managed to deliver drugs directly into the brains of mice.
Temporarily open the blood-brain barrier
Naturally impermeable, the blood-brain barrier is not so easily penetrated. This does not mean that scientists have not attempted to cross it temporarily. In their work, published in the medical journal Kind Communicationthey explain their methodology.
The development and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier depends on what is called the Wnt signaling pathway, which regulates a number of crucial cellular processes. The team sought to determine if this pathway could be modulated to open the barrier “on demand”.
The researchers uncovered the role of a molecule known as Unc5B, an endothelial membrane receptor expressed in capillary endothelial cells. able to control the way, functioning as an upstream regulator. The researchers found that one ligand, netrin-1, also caused a blood barrier defect when removed.
Based on these observations, the scientists developed an antibody capable of attaching itself to the ligand in order to deactivate it. When they injected it into the mice, they observed that the barrier remained”opened“until the elimination of the antibody by the body. During this period of time, it was therefore possible for them to deliver drugs directly to the level of the brain.
A major challenge for the development of new treatments for brain diseases
The goal is for drugs to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier momentarily in order to support patients with brain diseases.
Even if these discoveries are only at a very early stage, they could well mark the beginning of a potential therapeutic advance to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or even brain cancer.