Immortalized Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells

Immortalized Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells (HBMECs) are a commonly utilized in vitro model for studying blood-brain barrier (BBB) cell and molecular biology. The immortalization of human brain microvessel-derived HBMECs utilizes methods including the SV40 large T antigen to promote their extended growth and division capabilities. Morphologically, HBMECs display the characteristic cobblestone-like monolayer typical of microvascular endothelium and express hallmark endothelial markers including CD31, VE-cadherin, vWF, and eNOS. Importantly, they form tight junction structures-such as ZO-1, claudin-5, and occludin-that are essential for modeling the barrier properties of the BBB.

Immortalized HBMECs have been used to study a wide range of BBB cellular and molecular biology properties, such as selective molecular transport, expression of efflux transporters like P-gp and BCRP, inflammatory responses, for example, induction of adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 upon stimulation with inflammatory cytokines. This, along with their physiological relevance, has made them a commonly used model for various applications, including drug permeability assays, neuroinflammation, CNS infection, neurovascular unit, and oxygen-glucose deprivation to mimic ischemia. They are also used in more complex systems, for example in co-culture or microfluidic "BBB-on-a-chip" systems.