Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

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MDPI, Pharmaceuticals, 4(16), p. 571, 2023

DOI: 10.3390/ph16040571

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

Journal article published in 2023 by Manal Abdelsalam, Munazza Ahmed, Zaynab Osaid, Rifat Hamoudi ORCID, Rania Harati ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Preprint: archiving allowed
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Postprint: archiving allowed
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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

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. The transcytosis mechanisms are influenced by several regulators. Inflammation and metastasis also enhance exosome trafficking across the BBB. We also shed light on the therapeutical applications of exosomes for treating brain diseases. Further investigations are essential to provide clearer insights related to trafficking of exosomes across the BBB and disease treatment.