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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Cancer. 2019 Jul 20;5(8):495–505. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2019.06.003

Figure 1. Normal blood-brain barrier anatomy and physiology.

Figure 1.

Brain capillary endothelial cells are tightly held to one another through continuous tight junction proteins and express P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP) efflux transporters. Astrocytic end-feet processes further seal and support BBB integrity. Pericytes further regulate cerebral blood flow and BBB permeability. Microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, can influence BBB permeability through inflammatory cascades and serve as the innate response to pathogens within the brain.