Cytokines permeabilize cell junctions (IMAGE)
Caption
The blood-brain barrier normally prevents substances circulating in the blood from passing through cellular junctions into the brain, potentially causing damage. Tumors and other insults, such as stress, infection or a high-fat diet, generate chemicals that cause inflammation, which compromises the junction and makes the brain leaky. One such chemical is the cytokine interleukin-6, which acts through the STAT signaling pathway.
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Graphic courtesy of Developmental Cell
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