Ionophore and Biometal Modulation of P-glycoprotein at the Blood-Brain Barrier

This thesis explores the hypothesis that a biometal binding agent is able to deliver enhanced quantities of the biometals zinc and copper into the specialised blood vessel cells which form the interface between the brain and the blood, and subsequently modify the relative abundance and function of P-glycoprotein, an important toxin transporting protein, in both laboratory and animal settings. The successful modulation of P-glycoprotein by biometal delivery may find application in the modification of brain-to-blood transport of natural toxins in Alzheimer's disease, or in the modulation of pharmaceutical access to the central nervous system.