REVIEW article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology
This article is part of the Research TopicBarrier Breakdown in MS: From Cellular Regulation to Immune InvasionView all articles
Interaction of brain endothelial cells with T cells: implications for progression and therapeutic strategies of multiple sclerosis
Provisionally accepted
- 1The Third People’s Hospital of Jinan, Jining Medical University, Jinan, China
- 2Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
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The dynamic interplay between brain endothelial cells (BECs) and T cells is a key event in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). This process allows the extravasation of T cells from the peripheral circulation into the central nervous system (CNS), thereby triggering neuroinflammation and tissue damage. In MS, activated BECs facilitate T cell activation, recruitment, and CNS infiltration by upregulating major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and chemokines. In response, T cells interact with BECs by expressing corresponding ligands, thereby modulating the immunoregulatory and barrier functions of BECs. This cross-talk between BECs and T cells significantly increases the complexity of MS treatment. Therefore, this review systematically summarizes the mutually reinforcing interactions between BECs and T cells based on existing research and highlights recent therapeutic strategies for either BECs or T cells that show promise in achieving favorable outcomes for treating MS.
Keywords: Brain endothelial cells, Multiple Sclerosis, progression, T cells, therapeutic strategies
Received: 09 Oct 2025; Accepted: 09 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Zhao and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dongqi Zhu
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