Drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier

The blood brain barrier, formed by brain capillary endothelial cells, represents the major obstacle for drug entry into the central nervous system. Efforts are ongoing to overcome this barrier without causing permanent damage to brain tissue. The present review attempts to provide key information on cerebral microvessel anatomy, features contributing to barrier function and current approaches in overcoming the blood-brain barrier using cellular and molecular methodologies to transfer drugs to the brain as well as intelligent drug delivery systems.