In vivo discovery of blood-brain barrier opening small molecules with FishNAP

Potts, T. C.; McDonnell, E. E.; Gall, L. G.; Coffinas, E.; Levey, J.; Rutley, C. G.; Gururaj, N.; Vindigni, A. K.; Iyer, A. R.; Gosai, M. H.; O'Brown, N. M.

doi:10.64898/2026.03.18.712473

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.03.18.712473

In vivo discovery of blood-brain barrier opening small molecules with FishNAP

Potts, T. C.·McDonnell, E. E.·Gall, L. G.·Coffinas, E.·Levey, J.·Rutley, C. G.·Gururaj, N.·Vindigni, A. K.·Iyer, A. R.·Gosai, M. H.·O'Brown, N. M.

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Abstract

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is crucial for neural homeostasis, tightly regulating molecular exchange between the circulation and brain. However, this selective protection also greatly limits drug delivery to the central nervous system, posing a major challenge for treating neurological disorders. Pharmacological strategies that transiently and safely increase BBB permeability could therefore transform brain drug delivery, yet systematic discovery of such modulators remains hampered by the limitations of current in vitro and in vivo approaches. Here we present FishNAP, a non-invasive, high-throughput zebrafish platform for real-time assessment of BBB permeability in vivo. FishNAP captures developmental changes in barrier function and detects dysfunction in genetic mutants. Using this platform, we screened 2,320 FDA-approved small molecules for compounds capable of opening an intact BBB and identified 11 that reproducibly increased permeability. Seven of these allowed entry of a 1 kDa tracer into brain tissue, and five also permitted passage of a larger 10 kDa Dextran. Barrier integrity recovered within 24 hours for all seven compounds, indicating reversible modulation. Finally, testing three representative molecules (Calcitriol, Lovastatin, and Sunitinib) in adult mice revealed increased BBB permeability and reduced Claudin-5 expression, demonstrating conserved mechanisms of BBB-regulation across vertebrates. FishNAP thus enables systematic discovery of BBB modulators with direct translational potential for brain drug delivery.

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Potts, T. C., McDonnell, E. E., Gall, L. G., Coffinas, E., Levey, J., Rutley, C. G., Gururaj, N., Vindigni, A. K., Iyer, A. R., Gosai, M. H., O'Brown, N. M.. 2026-03-20. In vivo discovery of blood-brain barrier opening small molecules with FishNAP. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.18.712473

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