Penetration of the blood-brain barrier: enhancement of drug delivery and imaging by bacterial glycopeptides.

Abstract

The blood-brain barrier restricts the passage of many pharmacological agents into the brain parenchyma. Bacterial glycopeptides induce enhanced blood-brain barrier permeability when they are present in the subarachnoid space during meningitis. By presenting such glycopeptides intravenously, blood-brain barrier permeability in rabbits was enhanced in a reversible time- and dose-dependent manner to agents < or = 20 kD in size. Therapeutic application of this bioactivity was evident as enhanced penetration of the antibiotic penicillin and the magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent gadolinium-diethylene-triamine-pentaacetic acid into the brain parenchyma.

• Authors: B Spellerberg, S Prasad, C Cabellos, M Burroughs, P Cahill, E Tuomanen
• Journal: The Journal of experimental medicine (J Exp Med) Vol. 182 Issue 4 Pg. 1037-43 (Oct 01 1995) ISSN: 0022-1007 [Print] United States
• PMID: 7561677 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Bacterial Proteins
• Contrast Media
• Glycopeptides
• Organometallic Compounds
• Penicillins
• Pentetic Acid
• Gadolinium DTPA

Topics

• Animals
• Bacterial Proteins (pharmacology)
• Blood-Brain Barrier (drug effects)
• Brain (anatomy & histology, ultrastructure)
• Contrast Media
• Gadolinium DTPA
• Glycopeptides (pharmacology)
• Haemophilus influenzae (chemistry)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (methods)
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Organometallic Compounds
• Penicillins (pharmacokinetics)
• Pentetic Acid (analogs & derivatives)
• Rabbits
• Streptococcus pneumoniae (chemistry)