An organ chip model reveals BBB dysfunction following treatment of malignant melanoma-derived exosomes

Here, we established a human blood-brain barrier model by co-culturing human brain microvascular endothelial cells, astrocytes and microglial cells under a biomimetic condition, and utilized this model to explore the potential roles of exosomes derived from malignant melanoma in modulating BBB integrity. Our findings showed that malignant melanoma-derived exosomes disrupted BBB integrity and induced glial activation on the BBB chip. Transcriptome analyses revealed dys-regulation of autophagy and immune responses following tumor exosomes treatment. These studies indicated malignant melanoma cells might mediate BBB integrity via exosomes, and also verified the feasibility of BBB chip as an ideal platform for studies of brain metastasis of tumors in vitro.