A Novel In Vitro Mouse Model to Study Mycobacterium tuberculosis Dissemination Across Brain Vessels: A Combination Granuloma and Blood-Brain Barrier Mouse Model.

ABSTRACT: In vitro culture models of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) provide a useful platform to test the mechanisms of cellular infiltration and pathogen dissemination into the central nervous system (CNS). We present an in vitro mouse model of the BBB to test Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) dissemination across brain endothelial cells. One-third of the global population is infected with Mtb, and in 1%-2% of cases bacteria invade the CNS through a largely unknown process. The "Trojan horse" theory supports the role of a cellular carrier that engulfs bacteria and carries them to the brain without being recognized. We present for the first time a protocol for an in vitro BBB-granuloma model that supports the Trojan horse mechanism of Mtb dissemination into the CNS. Handling of bacterial cultures, in

SUBMITTER: Walter FR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8205228 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature