Control of Neuroinflammation and Protecting the Integrity of the Blood-Brain Barrier

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) consists of specialized endothelial cells (ECs) surrounded by pericytes, astrocytes, and microglia. These ECs perform tight control on the bidirectional traffic of molecules from the blood to the brain parenchyma, thus guarding the brain’s microenvironment. If the BBB components fail to perform their function, BBB’s dysfunction can lead to a chain of neuroinflammatory events resulting in neuronal dysfunction and/or degeneration. This chapter aims to provide the readers with an overview of the evolving field of BBB and neuroinflammation, signaling pathways involved in BBB dysfunction, and the role of non-coding microRNAs in these signaling events. We conclude that further advances are needed in finding precise mechanisms regulating the BBB function to find BBB-protective reagents with neuroprotective action and their potential therapeutic application in treating neuroinflammatory and/or neurodegenerative diseases in the future.