Blood-Brain Barrier Driven Pharmacoresistance in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Challenges for Effective Drug Therapies.

ABSTRACT: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for proper neuronal function, homeostasis, and protection of the central nervous system (CNS) microenvironment from blood-borne pathogens and neurotoxins. The BBB is also an impediment for CNS penetration of drugs. In some neurologic conditions, such as epilepsy and brain tumors, overexpression of P-glycoprotein, an efflux transporter whose physiological function is to expel catabolites and xenobiotics from the CNS into the blood stream, has been reported. Recent studies reported that overexpression of P-glycoprotein and increase in its activity at the BBB drives a progressive resistance to CNS penetration and persistence of riluzole, the only drug approved thus far for treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), rapidly progressive and most

SUBMITTER: Mohamed LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6571115 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature