Preserved vascular integrity and enhanced survival following neuropilin-1 inhibition in a mouse model of CD8 T cell-initiated CNS vascular permeability.

Background Altered permeability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a feature of numerous neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis, cerebral malaria, viral hemorrhagic fevers and acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis. Our laboratory has developed a murine model of CD8 T cell-initiated central nervous system (CNS) vascular permeability in which vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling plays a prominent role in BBB disruption.