The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a regulatory interface between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. However, BBB changes in obesity and metabolic syndrome have not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that obesity reduces energy metabolism in the cerebral microvessels composing the BBB, reflected by downregulation of protein expression and function. We performed comparative proteomic analyses in enriched microvessels from the cerebral cortex of mice 2 months after ingestion of a high-fat diet or regular rodent chow. In mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO), there was downregulation of 47 proteins in the cerebral microvessels, including cytoskeletal proteins, chaperons, enzymes, transport-related proteins, and regulators for transcriptional and translational activities. Only two proteins, involved in messenger RNA (mRNA) transport and processing, were upregulated. The changes of these proteins were further validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), western blotting, and immunofluorescent staining of freshly isolated microvessels, in samples obtained from different batches of mice. The predominant downregulation suggests that DIO suppresses metabolic activity of BBB microvessels. The finding of a hypometabolic state of the BBB in mice at the chronic stage of DIO is unexpected and unprecedented; it may provide novel mechanistic insight into how obesity influences CNS function via regulatory changes of the BBB. Keywords: blood-brain barrier; cerebral microvessels; high-fat diet; mass spectrometry; obesity; proteomics INTRODUCTION Obesity has become one of the most critical problems in human health and is associated with many complications of metabolic diseases. 1,2 Proteomic methods have been used to investigate human and mouse obesity, but most reports have focused on changes in adipose tissue. [3][4][5][6] Recent results suggest that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is activated in obesity; for example, mice with adult-onset obesity show resistance to leptin transport across the BBB, region-specific astrogliosis, and upregulation of astrocytic leptin receptors. 7,8 The BBB is a regulatory interface between the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral circulation. It is a complex threedimensional structure composed of specialized endothelial cells that are reinforced by pericytes, astrocytic endfeet, and extracellular matrix. The tight junctions between the endothelia and the continuous basement membrane prevent diffusion of large non-lipophilic molecules between the CNS parenchyma (brain and spinal cord) and the circulation. The function of the BBB is further reinforced by a high mitochondrial content that ensures sufficient energy, an abundance of enzymes, and metabolically active astrocytes. The functions of the BBB in obesity, however, remain unclear. We predicted that BBB homeostasis is disturbed by metabolic changes in obesity.Although normal transport and secretory functions of the BBB are essential for CNS function, proteomic analyses have shown that BBB activity is ch...