Regulation of Blood-Brain Barrier in Health and Disease
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2024) | Viewed by 2044
Special Issue Editor
Interests: blood-brain barrier function; cell death; drug discovery; neuroinflammation; neuroprotective strategy; perinatal brain injury
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a complex system that regulates the exchange of molecules between the brain and the bloodstream. The development and maintenance of the BBB are essential for the normal functioning of the central nervous system. The regulation of the BBB is important in both health and disease. In particular, changes in the permeability of the BBB have been implicated in a range of neurological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury, and perinatal brain injury. Understanding the regulation of the BBB and the mechanisms underlying BBB dysfunction is therefore essential for developing new therapeutic strategies for these conditions.
Several key factors contribute to the regulation of the BBB, including the neurovascular unit, which includes neurons, glial cells (astrocytes and microglia), pericytes, the microvasculature, and junction proteins such as tight junctions and gap junctions. In addition, the neuroimmune axis, which is the interplay between the immune system and the central nervous system, plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the BBB.
The BBB's ability to restrict drug and molecule transport into the brain presents a challenge in developing therapies for neurological diseases. Understanding the BBB's regulation of transport mechanisms and identifying therapeutic targets is crucial for drug development.
In summary, understanding the regulation of the BBB is crucial for maintaining brain homeostasis and developing therapies for neurological diseases. Targeting the BBB transport mechanisms and neurovascular unit, as well as modulating the neuroimmune axis, may provide new opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
Dr. Xiaodi Chen
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- blood–brain barrier development and permeability
- brain microvascular endothelial cells
- drug and molecule transports
- junction proteins
- neurodegenerative diseases
- neuroimmune axis, neurovascular unit
- perinatal and traumatic brain injury
- perivascular cells
- therapeutic target
