Blood-brain barrier: emerging trends on transport models and new-age strategies for therapeutics intervention against neurological disorders

The integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for normal central nervous system (CNS) functioning. Considering the significance of BBB in maintaining homeostasis and the neural environment, we aim to provide an overview of significant aspects of BBB. Worldwide, the treatment of neurological diseases caused by BBB disruption has been a major challenge. BBB also restricts entry of neuro-therapeutic drugs and hinders treatment modalities. Hence, currently nanotechnology-based approaches are being explored on large scale as alternatives to conventional methodologies. It is necessary to investigate the in-depth characteristic features of BBB to facilitate the discovery of novel drugs that can successfully cross the barrier and target the disease effectively. It is imperative to discover novel strategies to treat life-threatening CNS diseases in humans. Therefore, insights regarding building blocks of BBB, activation of immune response on breach of this barrier, and various autoimmune neurological disorders caused due to BBB dysfunction are discussed. Further, special emphasis is given on delineating BBB disruption leading to CNS disorders. Moreover, various mechanisms of transport pathways across BBB, several novel strategies, and alternative routes by which drugs can be properly delivered into CNS are also discussed.

Automated summary

The integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is crucial for the normal functioning of the central nervous system (CNS). Nanotechnology-based approaches are being explored as alternatives to conventional methods for treating neurological diseases caused by BBB disruption. It is important to understand the characteristics of BBB for the discovery of new drugs that can effectively cross the barrier. This article discusses the building blocks of BBB, immune response activation upon breach of the barrier, autoimmune neurological disorders caused by BBB dysfunction, mechanisms of transport pathways across BBB, and novel strategies and alternative routes for drug delivery into CNS.