The availability of various in vitro and in vivo techniques has considerably advanced the research on drug transport and metabolism across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). These specialized and sophisticated experimental strategies are of fundamental importance if one is to gain a greater understanding of enhanced and selective drug delivery to the brain.
The reader will find in this book methods for in vitro endothelial/astrocyte cell culture models, and for in vivo intracerebral microdialysis to study drug tranport across the BBB. This book, however, is not merely a laboratory manual consisting of recipes for BBB research; it permits the presentation of the different methods in fine detail, revealing tricks and short cuts that frequently do not appear in the literature. The researcher is well aware that differences (subtle or otherwise) in experimental steps used in different laboratories may influence the outcome of any particular procedure. The book also illustrates the accessibility and the application of the different methods in different species. Background information of the protocol is given in every chapter, which also contains a literature list that the reader may wish to refer to for further information.
This volume will be invaluable to basic researchers as well as to those involved in the search for agents suitable for pharmaceutic intervention in the central nervous system.