Breaking through the barrier
Getting drug molecules into the brain means crossing the defensive blood-brain barrier. Anthony King investigates how chemists are infiltrating the brain's fortress
Ordinary activities like exercising or eating can alter our blood composition fairly dramatically. Blood potassium may increase, for example, and there can be significant shifts in its lipid and amino acid content. Metabolites toxic to nerve cells can even enter the bloodstream.
The blood-brain barrier, thankfully, blocks flotsam or jetsam in our blood from traversing into our brains. This is crucial because neuron signalling in the brain relies on electrical signals and fine chemical signals, which require a precisely regulated microenvironment, and this can be easily disturbed by molecules coming in from the blood.