Isolation and Characterization of Human Brain Endothelial Cells

The ability to isolate and culture endothelial cells derived from brain microvessels has led to a considerable increase in our understanding of the biology of these cells over the last two decades. Most of these in vitro systems are derived from various animal sources and provide a valuable tool for investigating the function of cerebral endothelial cells and their reaction to injury under controlled conditions. Recent advances in vascular biology, however, indicate that endothelial cells from different species and vascular beds differ in their morphology, function, permeability, and immunological properties (1 ). The need to investigate the function of the human cerebral endothelium and its role in the pathogenesis of diseases unique to the human central nervous system led to the development, over the last decade, of methods for the isolation and cultivation of human brain-derived endothelial cells (2 –7 ).