Insights into Exosome Transport through the Blood-Brain Barrier and the Potential Therapeutical Applications in Brain Diseases.

ABSTRACT: Drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) is limited due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a selective physiological barrier located at the brain microvessels that regulates the flow of cells, molecules and ions between the blood and the brain. Exosomes are nanosized extracellular vesicles expressed by all cell types and that function as cargos, allowing for communication between the cells. The exosomes were shown to cross or regulate the BBB in healthy and disease conditions. However, the mechanistic pathways by which exosomes cross the BBB have not been fully elucidated yet. In this review, we explore the transport mechanisms of exosomes through the BBB. A large body of evidence suggests that exosome transport through the BBB occurs primarily through transcytosis.

SUBMITTER: Abdelsalam M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10144189 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature