X-Message-Number: 9317 Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 14:39:19 +0300 (MSK) From: Eugene Leitl <> Subject: ripped from Science-Week Part 3 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 15:58:32 -0600 From: Science-Week <> To: Subject: Science-Week Part 3 [...] 18. CHARACTERIZATION OF AN IN VITRO BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER The blood brain barrier is an extremely thin tissue barrier that prevents many molecules and substances from free diffusion or transport into brain tissues or cerebrospinal fluid from the blood stream, brain interarterial fluid thus being separated from circulatory blood. Endothelial cells are a variety of cells that form flat layers (endothelia) lining the heart and vessels such as blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. In general, dialysis is any filtration process using a semipermeable membrane to separate large molecules from small molecules based on their permeability through the membrane. ... ... Duport et al (6 authors at Centre Medical Universitaire Geneva, CH) report a new in vitro blood- brain barrier involving organotypic slice cultures from the central nervous system overlaid on endothelial cell monolayers grown on permeable membranes, with morphological, electrophysio- logical, and microdialysis approaches used to characterize the model. Results indicate the in vitro model has characteristics similar to the blood-brain barrier in situ. The authors suggest that cocultures of organotypic slices and endothelial cell monolayers are potentially powerful tools for studying biochemical mechanisms regulating blood-brain barrier function and drug delivery to the central nervous system. QY: L. Stoppini mailto:// (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. US 17 Feb 98) [...] Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9317