Drugs and the Blood Brain Barrier International Class 2008

BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER

The blood brain barrier is an anatomic-physiologic feature of the brain thought to consist of walls of capillaries in the central nervous system and surrounding astrocytic glial membranes. The barrier separates the parenchyma of the central nervous system from blood. The blood-brain barrier prevents or slows the passage of some drugs and other chemical compounds, radioactive ions, and disease-causing organisms such as viruses from the blood into the central nervous system.

Hence, one way of separating drugs could be on their ability to pass through the blood brain barrier. 1. Drugs that can cross the blood brain barrier Mecamylamine Penbutolol Propranolol Neurotensin agonist drugs Thiopental Midazolam Glycine Nitrosoureas

Clonidine Scopolamine

Benzatropine Chloramphenicol

2. Drugs that cant cross the blood brain barrier Dimethylphenylpiperazinium (DMPP), a synthetic nicotinic stimulant Trimethaphan Bradykinin Neuromuscular blocking drugs Dopamine Avermectins Domperidone Loperamide Tegaserod Guanethidine

3. Drugs that cross the blood brain barrier with difficulty Nadolol Levodopa 3-O-methyldopa Opioids that are converted to polar metabolites such as, morphine that is metabolized to form morphine-6glucuronide Ethambutol, only when the meninges are inflamed Streptomycin, only when the meninges are inflamed

REFERENCES
Bertram G. Katzung. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology. 9th ed. McGraw-Hill Professional; 2004 Klaus Mohr, Heinz Lllmann, Lutz Hein, Detlef Bieger. Color Atlas of Pharmacology. 3rd ed. New York: Thieme Stuttgart; 2005.