Blood Brain Barrier: A Challenge for Effectual Therapy of Brain Tumors

Figure 1

A pictorial representation of the BBB and its tight junction structure. The figure shows an irrigated blood vessel in the brain which forms the BBB. The BBB is constituted by endothelial cells with tight junctions, surrounded by pericytes and astrocytic end-feet. The tight junction is further established by the interaction of proteins like claudins, occludin, junction adhesion molecules, and cytoplasmic accessory proteins (ZO1, ZO2, and ZO3) of adjacent endothelial cells. The details of each component of the BBB are mentioned in the text of this review.