Abstract
This chapter discusses the transport of oligopeptide at the blood-brain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barriers. The movement of peptides between blood and brain is regulated by two barrier systems, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-CSF barrier (BCSFB), although both barriers are usually referred to by the single term BBB. The BBB is formed by the cerebral endothelial cells and the tight junctions that link them. The BCSFB is formed by choroid plexus (CP) epithelial cells, situated in the lateral third and fourth cerebral ventricles, and the cells of the arachnoid membrane that overlies the surface of the brain. These cells are also linked by tight junctions that limit paracellular permeability of polar compounds (such as many peptides). In contrast, even some large compounds, such as horseradish peroxidase, can permeate between the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) across the ependyma. Thus, homeostasis of the brain microenvironment relies on the coordinated action of both the BBB and the BCSFB.
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