Characterization of a novel brain barrier ex vivo insect-based P-glycoprotein screening model.

In earlier studies insects were proposed as suitable models for vertebrate blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability prediction and useful in early drug discovery. Here we provide transcriptome and functional data demonstrating the presence of a P-glycoprotein (Pgp) efflux transporter in the brain barrier of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). In an in vivo study on the locust, we found an increased uptake of the two well-known Pgp substrates, rhodamine 123 and loperamide after co-administration with the Pgp inhibitors cyclosporine A or verapamil.

The grasshopper: a novel model for assessing vertebrate brain uptake.

The aim of the present study was to develop a blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability model that is applicable in the drug discovery phase. The BBB ensures proper neural function, but it restricts many drugs from entering the brain, and this complicates the development of new drugs against central nervous system diseases. Many in vitro models have been developed to predict BBB permeability, but the permeability characteristics of the human BBB are notoriously complex and hard to predict.

Models for predicting blood-brain barrier permeation.

The endothelial blood-brain barrier (BBB) ensures an optimal environment for proper neural function in vertebrates; however, it also creates a major obstacle for the medical treatment of brain diseases. Despite significant progress in the development of various in vitro and in silico models for predicting BBB permeation, many challenges remain and, so far, no model is able to meet the early drug discovery demands of the industry for reliability and time and cost efficiency. Recently, it was found that the grasshopper (Locusta migratoria) brain barrier has similar functionality as the vertebrate BBB.