All articles tagged with #blood brain barrier
UC San Francisco researchers show that exercise increases the liver enzyme GPLD1, which travels to brain blood vessels and removes TNAP from the blood-brain barrier. This restores barrier integrity and reduces leakiness and inflammation in aging mice, helping memory and cognitive performance, and suggesting new therapeutic avenues for aging and Alzheimer’s-related decline.
New lab and observational evidence suggests the sugar substitute erythritol can damage cells of the blood-brain barrier, trigger oxidative stress, and lower nitric oxide while raising endothelin-1, potentially narrowing cerebral vessels and hindering clot dissolution—factors that could elevate stroke risk; these findings align with studies linking erythritol to higher cardiovascular events, though most experiments used isolated cells and require validation in more realistic models.
Aerska, a Dublin/London biotech, raised $39 million in a second financing round to advance brain-shuttle delivery of siRNA that silences disease-causing brain genes, leveraging an iron-molecule–like carrier to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Researchers tested IKVAV-PA, a peptide-based nanomaterial, in a mouse model of acute ischemic stroke and found that systemic delivery allows the molecules to cross the blood-brain barrier and reduce brain tissue damage, inflammation, and harmful immune responses after reperfusion, indicating potential as an adjunct therapy—though human safety and long-term efficacy remain to be studied.
A Cell study (15 years in the making) finds that a protein called cystatin C, produced by cancer cells, can cross the blood–brain barrier and help break apart amyloid plaques in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, offering a possible explanation for the observed link between cancer and lower Alzheimer’s risk and suggesting a new avenue for drug development—though the findings are preclinical and in animals.
Northwestern researchers developed an intravenously delivered supramolecular peptide therapy, IKVAV-PA, that crosses the blood-brain barrier after a stroke, accumulates at injury sites, and reduces tissue damage and inflammation in mice with a single post-reperfusion dose, without detectable organ toxicity. While no short-term behavioral improvement was seen, the approach shows promise as an adjunct to clot-reopening treatments and could extend to other brain injuries pending longer-term studies on cognitive and functional recovery.
Northwestern researchers have developed an injectable regenerative nanomaterial built from dynamic “dancing molecules” that can cross the blood-brain barrier after reperfusion in a mouse model of ischemic stroke. Delivered intravenously immediately after clot removal, the therapy reduced brain damage and inflammation without observed toxicity, suggesting it could complement clot-busting treatments. The approach relies on smaller peptide assemblies crossing the BBB before larger nanofibers form in brain tissue, and may have implications for traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases. Next steps include longer-term functional studies and exploring additional regenerative signals.
Research from Touro University reveals that vigorous exercise increases extracellular vesicles in the blood that transport hormone precursors like POMC more efficiently across biological barriers, including the blood-brain barrier, potentially impacting stress, mood, metabolism, and drug delivery.
Research suggests that erythritol, a common sugar substitute found in many processed foods, may damage the blood-brain barrier and disrupt blood vessel function, potentially increasing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, raising concerns about its safety despite regulatory approval.
This study used molecular profiling and innovative proteomics techniques to explore how brain endothelial cells communicate with astrocyte endfeet in mice and humans, revealing dynamic ligand-receptor interactions that are modulated during peripheral inflammation and are conserved across species, with implications for understanding neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
Scientists have developed bioactive nanoparticles that reverse Alzheimer's in mice by repairing the blood-brain barrier and enhancing the clearance of toxic proteins like amyloid-β, showing promising therapeutic potential for future clinical applications.
Scientists developed a nanotechnology-based treatment that reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice by repairing the blood-brain barrier and enhancing clearance of toxic proteins like amyloid-β, leading to significant cognitive recovery.
Recent research uncovers a harmful interaction between amyloid beta and fibrinogen that forms resistant blood clots, contributing to early signs of Alzheimer's disease by damaging blood vessels and synapses, and suggests targeting this complex could offer new therapeutic avenues.
Recent advances in focused ultrasound technology, which uses high-frequency sound waves, are opening new possibilities for treating diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer, and rare neurological conditions by enabling targeted drug delivery, stimulating immune responses, and potentially stopping disease progression, with ongoing clinical trials demonstrating promising results.
Scientists have developed a novel nanoparticle-based approach that repairs the blood-brain barrier in mice, leading to rapid clearance of Alzheimer's-related plaques and improved cognitive function, suggesting a potential new direction for treatment research, though human applicability remains uncertain.