Precise Disease-Responsive Delivery Within the Central Nervous System Microenvironment

Effective treatment of neurological disorders remains limited by the complexity of the central nervous system (CNS) microenvironment and the presence of tightly regulated blood-CNS interfaces. The blood-brain barrier (BBB), blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier, perivascular spaces, and associated neurovascular unit components do not simply restrict drug entry into the brain; they also dynamically respond to disease resulting in neuroinflammation, vascular dysfunction, and altered fluid flow. Across conditions such as brain tumors, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and hypertensive encephalopathy, disruption of microvascular function and CNS fluid homeostasis may both drive pathology and create new therapeutic opportunities. Gaining insight into the impact of fluid flow BBB disruption on both systemic and brain health is crucial for uncovering common pathophysiologic mechanisms in neurovascular diseases. A deeper understanding of physiological regulation and dysregulation within these interfaces is therefore essential for advancing safe, precise, and effective CNS drug delivery.This Research Topic seeks to illustrate the importance of studying physiological regulation and dysregulation of the neurovascular unit components and how this understanding translates to new and developing treatment strategies for a wide range of neurological disorders and diseases. A central objective is to showcase how mechanistic insight into the neurovascular unit can guide the development of smarter interventions for a broad range of neurological diseases. We welcome studies describing agents or platforms that alleviate neurovascular dysfunction, modulate barrier-associated cells, or exploit endogenous transport pathways, paracellular and/or transcellular, to enhance drug delivery to specific brain regions. We are equally interested in enabling technologies that support precision treatment.We welcome articles that describe agents that alleviate neurovascular dysfunction and/or target the key components to enhance therapeutic drug delivery to specific brain regions, including studies focused on improving CNS fluid flow. Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:• Disease-responsive delivery approaches involving the BBB, arachnoid epithelium, the choroid plexus and the tanycytic barrier.• Nanocarrier-based delivery systems, extracellular vesicles, and ligand-based platforms for brain delivery• Mechanisms governing CNS entry, regulation of paracellular transport mediated by tight junction proteins, and transcellular transport involving endocytosis, transcytosis, receptor- and transporter-mediated pathways, and ion channels.• Focused ultrasound (FUS) / microbubbles and imaging-guided methods for precision delivery to specific brain regions, including applications in brain tumors and Alzheimer’s disease• Strategies to improve CNS fluid flow and microvascular function in stroke, hypertensive encephalopathy, and related neurovascular disorders associated with cognitive decline• Therapeutic interventions, including traditional medicine-derived therapeutics, as well as advanced in vitro models for improving CNS delivery and neurovascular health Topic editors: Mehmet Kaya, Sarah Ann Thomas Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79006/precise-disease-responsive-delivery-within-the-central-nervous-system-microenvironment