According to reports, SARS-CoV-2 has the ability to invade the brains of humans and model animals. However, it is currently unclear whether and how SARS-CoV-2 crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Recently, the Qin Chuan team from the Institute of Laboratory Animals of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences published a research paper in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.
The study found that SARS-CoV-2 RNA was occasionally detected in the vascular wall and perivascular space of infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice, and in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC). Through the administration of Evans blue, the disintegration of BBB was found in the infected hamster. The results of this study provide evidence to support that SARS-CoV-2 can cross the BBB through a transcellular pathway, while the basement membrane is destroyed without significant changes in TJ.
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