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The blood‐brain barrier: Cellular basis
Author(s) -
Janzer R. C.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of inherited metabolic disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1573-2665
pISSN - 0141-8955
DOI - 10.1007/bf00711897
Subject(s) - blood–brain barrier , microbiology and biotechnology , endothelial stem cell , biology , tight junction , astrocyte , horseradish peroxidase , basement membrane , angiogenesis , population , cell type , vesicular transport protein , chemistry , cell , neuroscience , central nervous system , biochemistry , vesicle , membrane , medicine , enzyme , in vitro , environmental health , cancer research
Summary Perfusion experiments with horseradish peroxidase have established that the morphological substrate of the blood‐brain barrier is represented by microvascular endothelial cells. They are characterized by complexly arranged tight junctions and a very low rate of transcytotic vesicular transport. They express transport enzymes, carrier systems and brain endothelial cell‐specific molecules of unknown function not expressed by any other endothelial cell population. These blood‐brain barrier properties are not intrinsic to these cells but are inducible by the surrounding brain tissue. Type I astrocytes injected into the anterior eye chamber of the rat or onto the chick chorioallantoic membrane are able to induce a host‐derived angiogenesis and some blood‐brain barrier properties in endothelial cells of non‐neural origin. Recently we have shown that this cellular interaction is due to the secretion of a soluble astrocyte derived factor(s). Astrocytes are also implicated in the maintenance, functional regulation and the repair of the blood‐brain barrier. Complex interactions between other constituents of the microenvironment surrounding the endothelial cells, such as the basement membrane, pericytes, nerve endings, microglial cells and the extracellular fluid, take place and are required for the proper functioning of the blood‐brain barrier, which in addition is regionally different as reflected by endothelial cell heterogeneity.