跨血脑屏障药物转运的研究进展

血脑屏障(Blood-brain barrier,BBB)的存在成为人们治疗中枢神经系统疾病(Central nervous system,CNS)所面临的一道难题,因为基本上100%的大分子药物及大于98%的小分子药物均无法穿过血脑屏障.因此,如何使CNS药物跨越血脑屏障从血液进入脑内且发挥药效成为解决难题的关键所在.如今一些借助内源性BBB运载体使药物转运入脑的技术发展起来.并处于实验研究和临床试验阶段,例如借助载体介导的转运系统、受体介导的转运系统的药物治疗策略,以及纳米技术的运用等,都有着良好的应用前景.这些新发现及新技术将为跨血脑屏障药物转运的研究提供新思路.并有望实现对CNS疾病患者的成功治疗.     

包含主要协同转运蛋白超家族结构域蛋白2a的研究进展

包含主要协同转运蛋白超家族结构域蛋白2a (major facilitator superfamily domain containing protein2a,MFSD2A)属于主要协同转运蛋白超家族(majorfacilitatorsuperfamily,MFS),其在血脑屏障(blood-brain barrier, BBB)完整性的维持和二十二碳六烯酸(docosahexaenoic acid, DHA)的转运上发挥着重要作用。在敲除MFSD2A基因的小鼠脑内,DHA含量显著降低并伴有神经元丢失,从而导致小头畸形和认知障碍。基于MFSD2A在中枢神经系统(central nervous system, CNS)的作用,已初步提示MFSD2A在药物输送到CNS方面可能是一个潜在治疗靶蛋白。该文回顾了当前MFSD2A的研究进展,总结梳理了MFSD2A在机体中的正常生理功能,以及在多种疾病(尤其是阿尔茨海默病)发生发展中的作用。     

利用体外血脑屏障模型结合高压液相-质谱技术筛选传统中药——朝鲜淫羊藿有

血脑屏障(blood-brain barrier, BBB)是位于中枢神经系统(central nervous system, CNS)和中枢系统环境间的一层生理保护屏障. 凡是作用于CNS 的药物,必须先通过BBB. 为了寻找能够进入CNS的药物,通过细胞培养时间优化 和跨膜电阻测定等,建立了ECV304/C6共培养通过BBB药物筛选模型. 并将该模型应用于从传统中药淫羊藿的提取物中,筛选可能作用于CNS的活性成分,结合高压液相色谱-质谱联用技术(HPLC-MS),对筛选出的化合物进行鉴定分析. 研究结果表明,淫羊藿提取物中至少有13种成分能够穿越BBB模型,其中2种成分被确认为淫羊藿苷和宝藿苷Ⅰ,为CNS药物开发的早期快速筛选提供了实验依据.     

甲基苯丙胺与HIV-Tat蛋白协同损伤血脑屏障的研究进展

血脑屏障(blood brain barrier, BBB)是维持中枢神经系统(central nervous system, CNS)内外环境稳定的结构,在保护CNS免受外界危险因素刺激中发挥着重要作用。甲基苯丙胺(methamphetamine, METH)滥用对人类免疫缺陷病毒(human immunodeficiency virus, HIV)感染者的BBB具有协同损害作用,极大提高了艾滋病相关神经认知障碍(HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, HAND)及艾滋病痴呆(HIV-associated dementia, HAD)的发生率。现将对METH与HIV-Tat蛋白损伤BBB的研究进展进行综述,旨在为进一步研究两者协同损伤BBB提供参考,并为相关治疗药物的研发提供依据。     

纳米药物载体靶向治疗脑胶质瘤的现状及前景展望

脑胶质瘤在成人原发脑肿瘤中居首位,目前的治疗手段疗效较差,手术切除后复发率高,而化疗药物不能有效的穿透血脑屏障并聚集在肿瘤部位。纳米材料作为载药体为其治疗开辟了新的思路,纳米材料在保持药物稳定性,增加其血液循环时间方面有明显优势。但目前纳米材料还存在着一些亟待解决的问题,如穿透血脑屏障(BBB)、准确靶向于脑胶质瘤细胞等。本文简略论述了纳米材料载药的特性及优势,重点就目前纳米材料载药所面临的问题进行综述,总结了纳米药物穿透血脑屏障的多种策略及纳米药物靶向于脑胶质瘤的不同方式,并详细讨论了目前纳米材料载药多重靶向策略,对其未来的发展进行展望。     

血脑屏障上的药物转运体P-糖蛋白

血脑屏障(Blood-brain Barrier,简称BBB)是维护脑内环境稳态的重要功能单位,它不仅可以阻止血液中的有害物质进入脑组织,而且能够清除脑内的有毒代谢产物。BBB上表达的转运系统在积极转运营养物质入脑和选择性外排药物的两个方面均发挥了重要作用。其中P-糖蛋白由于自身结构功能的特异性和作用底物的广泛性而备受关注。本文主要论述了BBB上P-糖蛋白的特性、表达、转运底物及其体内外研究的进展情况。P-糖蛋白作为BBB的重要组成部分在中枢神经系统治疗药物的摄取、分布和排泄中发挥了越来越重要的作用。因此,对P-糖蛋白的研究将有助于阐明药物脑部转运机制,为增加药物的BBB通透性、提高脑内靶点药物浓度提供新的研究思路。     

超声联合微泡介导血脑屏障开放及其在中枢神经系统疾病治疗中的作用

血脑屏障(blood-brain barrier, BBB)是一种介于外周循环系统与中枢神经系统之间的动态结构,起着守门员的作用,在维持机体内环境稳定的同时也阻碍了大多数治疗性药物进入大脑。聚焦超声联合微泡以非侵入的方式瞬时、局部可逆开放BBB,有利于药物分子的跨脑转运和中枢神经系统疾病的多功能诊疗。该文详细介绍了血脑屏障的结构、功能以及超声与微泡的发展历程,对聚焦超声联合微泡开放BBB的潜在机制、影响因素以及在脑部疾病中的最新研究进展进行了总结,并对其在临床实践中的应用前景进行了展望。     

星形胶质细胞在血脑屏障发育与稳态维持中的作用机制

血脑屏障(blood-brain barrier, BBB)由脑微血管内皮细胞及包绕内皮细胞的基膜、周细胞和星形胶质细胞的足突构成，它将血液与脑组织分隔开来，从而维持神经功能包括神经环路、突触连接和重塑等微环境的稳定。BBB稳态失衡与包括神经退行性疾病在内的许多中枢神经系统疾病有关，但目前BBB稳态维持与失衡的机制尚不清楚。星形胶质细胞作为BBB的组成成分，也是神经血管单元中联系神经元与脑微血管的枢纽，在BBB发育特别是BBB稳态维持中起重要作用。本文在简要介绍BBB的发育过程之后，综述了星形胶质细胞诱导BBB发育、成熟及其在BBB稳态维持中的作用和机制的研究进展，并指出了与BBB稳态失衡有关的A1型星形胶质细胞异质性的概念，以期为深入研究BBB稳态维持机制及加深理解BBB稳态失衡诱发神经退行性疾病提供新启示。     

血脑屏障与脑血管疾病的相关研究

血脑屏障（blood brain barrier,BBB）的主要结构包括：脑毛细血管内皮细胞及其间的紧密连接（tight junction,TJ）、基底膜、基 底膜下星型胶质细胞终足。血脑屏障是存在于血液和脑组织之间的一层屏障系统,在许多大脑疾患的病理过程中,BBB 的破坏导 致通透性增高都是不可避免的一个环节。BBB是保证中枢神经系统的正常生理功能的重要屏障系统。目前已有大量关于血脑屏 障通透性在脑血管疾病中的变化研究。本文分别从血脑屏障的结构和功能,药物通过血脑屏障的方法和功能,脑缺血损伤、阿尔 茨海默病、帕金森病和多发性硬化症等不同的脑病变与血脑屏障通透性的变化及中医药应用等方面做一综述。有针对性地对 BBB和大脑疾病进行进一步的研究与探索,将会为临床治疗相关疾病带来新的视角与机遇。     

药物输送系统中Janus纳米粒子的制备及应用

Janus纳米粒子(Janus nanoparticle,JNP)用于描述由两个不同侧面组合而成的一种异质结构的实体材料。Janus纳米粒子每个侧面在化学性质和/或极性上都有所差异,可将不同材料的特征和功能结合在一起,这是同类均质的材料难以实现的。近年来,Janus纳米粒子的制备方法已取得了重大突破,但其应用的发展方向仍然是一个充满挑战的领域,其中在抗肿瘤药物输送系统领域的研究较为突出。主要介绍了在药物输送系统中Janus纳米粒子的制备方法及应用,并提出了研究前景和可能面临的挑战。     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.