Konig Simon, Jayarajan Vignesh, Wray Selina, Kamm Roger, Moeendarbary Emad
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 6;16(1):7233. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-61888-7.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) preserves brain health through selective permeability, and its disruption is a hallmark of many neurological disorders. Mechanical stimuli such as shear stress and cyclic strain are increasingly recognised to influence BBB integrity and function, while alterations in tissue stiffness and extracellular matrix composition contribute to its breakdown during ageing and disease. Despite its importance, BBB mechanobiology remains underexplored. Here we highlight the central role of mechanics in BBB development, pathology, and ageing, identify key knowledge gaps, and argue that combining innovative BBB model systems with mechanical probing techniques could transform therapeutic strategies targeting brain vascular dysfunction.
血脑屏障（BBB）通过选择性通透来维护大脑健康，其破坏是许多神经疾病的一个标志。诸如剪切应力和循环应变等机械刺激对血脑屏障完整性和功能的影响日益受到认可，而组织硬度和细胞外基质组成的改变在衰老和疾病过程中会促使其破坏。尽管其很重要，但血脑屏障的力学生物学仍未得到充分探索。在此，我们强调力学在血脑屏障发育、病理学和衰老中的核心作用，识别关键知识空白，并认为将创新的血脑屏障模型系统与机械探测技术相结合可以改变针对脑血管功能障碍的治疗策略。
