The role of circadian rhythm in choroid plexus functions

Abstract

For several years, a great effort has been devoted to understand how circadian oscillations in physiological processes are determined by the circadian clock system. This system is composed by the master clock at the suprachiasmatic nucleus which sets the pace and tunes peripheral clocks in several organs. It was recently demonstrated that the choroid plexus epithelial cells that compose the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier hold a circadian clock which might control their multiple functions with implications for the maintenance of brain homeostasis. However, the choroid plexus activities regulated by its inner clock are still largely unknown. In this review, we propose that several choroid plexus functions might be regulated by the circadian clock, alike in other tissues. We provide evidences that the timing of cerebrospinal fluid secretion, clearance of amyloid-beta peptides and xenobiotics, and the barrier function of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier are regulated by the circadian clock. These data, highlight that the circadian regulation of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier must be taken into consideration for enhancing drug delivery to central nervous system disorders.

Keywords: Amyloid-beta clearance; Blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier; Cerebrospinal fluid; Choroid plexus; Circadian rhythm; Drug delivery.