Abstract
One of the main obstacles for the drug development for central nervous system disease is the strong tight junction-seals in the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Claudin-5 (CLDN-5) is the essential protein for tight junction in the BBB, which restricts the influx of small molecules up to 1 kDa. Many researchers have attempted to develop methodologies to selectively inhibit the CLDN-5 dependent tight junction and open the BBB. Recently, our group successfully developed anti-CLDN-5 monoclonal antibodies that inhibit the barrier function of CLDN-5. In this review, we introduce the characteristics of our anti-CLDN-5 monoclonal antibodies, and discuss potential of tight junction modulators for treating central nervous system diseases.
