ABSTRACT
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) not only maintains the stability of the environment within the central nervous system by controlling the transport of substances on both sides of the blood and brain, but also plays an important role in the R&D of new drugs for neurological disorders. The establishment of an in vitro high-fidelity model to study BBB function is imperative for assessing barrier permeability of drugs and xenobiotics. However, the complexity of the BBB structure makes it difficult to replicate with an in vitro model. Compared to the traditional in vitro BBB model, the BBB-on-chip provides certain advantages in miniaturizing the system, reducing the amount of cells and medium required, and allowing simultaneously induction of shear stress. We review here the BBB-on-chip models from their establishment and characterization to applications in research of neuroinflammation, brain tumor and drug evaluation.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the gene mutation of collagen, type I, alpha 1 (COL1A1) associated with the clinical characterization of a Chinese family with type I osteogenesis imperfecta (OI).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Polymerase chain reaction, DNA sequencing and restriction endonuclaese analysis were used to check all the members in the family with OI and 50 normal control people for detecting the mutation of COL1A1 gene.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A 2461G>A (G821S) mutation was found and identified in COL1A1 gene of OI patients, to whom the individual clinical characterization was displayed, however. And the other members in the family with OI and the control did not have such gene mutation as 2461G>A.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The mutation of COL1A1 gene is one of the OI etiologic causes in China. There is no simple universal linkage between such gene changes and OI phenotype, but which not only involved in the OI genotype but the genetic background as well.</p>