Investigating novel aspects of the blood-brain barrier using high resolution electron microscopy

Abstract

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a restrictive interface located between the blood circulation and the central nervous system (CNS), regulating the homeostatic environment of the neuronal milieu, by controlling the permeability of the cerebrovasculature. Currently, we cannot fully comprehend the regulatory features and the complexity of BBB morphology to allow for intervention clinically. The thesis consists of four publications. The methodology paper proposes a novel experimental design to visualize the morphological architecture of immortalized mouse brain endothelial cell lines (bEnd3/bEnd5). The brain endothelial cells (BECs) were grown on cellulose matrices and fixed in 2.5 % glutaraldehyde in preparation for visualization of the paracellular (PC) spaces between adjacent BECs, employing high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM), with vested interest in the morphological profile of the developing BEC.