Research on the Neurotoxicological Mechanisms of Clinical Drugs

Due to the continuous introduction of new drugs into clinical trials and the irrational use of clinical drugs, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occur occasionally. It is reported that the use of various drugs, including cytarabine derivatives, quinolones, and chemotherapeutic agents, can cause neurotoxic reactions, including brain edema, white matter lesions, cognitive dysfunction, and motor dysfunction. The blood-brain barrier (BBB), composed of cerebral vascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocyte end feet, serves as a barrier structure that prevents harmful substances, including drugs, from entering the brain. Together with various glial cells and neurons within the brain, it forms the neurovascular unit (NVU). So, what impact do drugs have on the various cellular components that make up the BBB during the process of causing neurological lesions? Do they mediate a cascade of communication between blood vessels and various cells within the brain? We focus on the impact of clinical drugs on cerebral blood vessels, analyze the important role of cerebral blood vessels in brain protection and injury processes, and attempt to target blood vessels to find effective strategies to alleviate drug-induced central nervous system toxicity.