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Blood-brain barrier
Pronunciation
Definition 1
A network of blood vessels and tissue that is made up of closely spaced cells and helps keep harmful substances from reaching the brain. The blood-brain barrier lets some substances, such as water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and general anesthetics, pass into the brain. It also keeps out bacteria and other substances, such as many anticancer drugs. Also called BBB. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
The mechanism for restricting the passage of charged ions and large molecules from the blood into the brain and central nervous system (CNS) by employing a unique capillary bed with tight junctions between the endothelial cells. (NCI Thesaurus)
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