New insight into neurological degeneration: Inflammatory cytokines and blood–brain barrier

Neurological degeneration after neuroinflammation, such as that resulting from Alzheimer’s disease (AD), stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), and post-traumatic brain injury (TBI), is typically associated with high mortality and morbidity and with permanent cognitive dysfunction, which places a heavy economic burden on families and society. Diagnosing and curing these diseases in their early stages remains a challenge for clinical investigation and treatment. Recent insight into the onset and progression of these diseases highlights the permeability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The primary factor that influences BBB structure and function is inflammation, especially the main cytokines including IL-1β, TNFα, and IL-6, the mechanism on the disruption of which are critical component of the aforementioned diseases. Surprisingly, the main cytokines from systematic inflammation can also induce as much worse as from neurological diseases or injuries do. In this review, we will therefore discuss the physiological structure of BBB, the main cytokines including IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, and their mechanism on the disruption of BBB and recent research about the main cytokines from systematic inflammation inducing the disruption of BBB and cognitive impairment, and we will eventually discuss the need to prevent the disruption of BBB.