Targeted Drug Delivery to Central Nervous System (CNS) for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders: Trends and Advances

Abstract

The treatment of brain diseases has been a major challenge since a long time. Although there are several potent drugs, which are highly therapeutic yet their efficiency is marred due to the presence of the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB). The BBB, which is present at the capillary level regulates and monitors the entry of all small and large molecules entering into the brain. Although this barrier is of immense importance to the brain in terms of safety, it becomes a hindrance when it comes to therapy because the drug molecules are unable to reach the brain. Various biomaterial-based strategies are being developed to overcome the BBB and deliver the drug into the brain. These include polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, solid-lipid nanoparticles (SLNPs), nanogels, implants, etc. This review provides an overview on CNS disorders, BBB, and various delivery strategies available for biologists engaged in translational neuroscience, to target CNS.

Pyridine alkaloids with activity in the central nervous system

“…anxiety, depression and psychosis), epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, neuropathic pain, autism and many more. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 The disease burden from CNS disorders is enormous. Studies have revealed that neurological disorders were the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs; ~280 million) and the second leading cause of deaths (~9.0 million) globally.…”

Cell encapsulation: technical and clinical advances

“…This is accomplished with the added benefits of reducing the burden of cell sourcing, obviating the need for complex repeated surgical procedures, and providing targeted drug delivery with more beneficial safety profiles. While other approaches that are currently under investigation (including direct tissue infusions [7], various gene therapy approaches [8], cell therapies [9,10], and biomaterial-based drug-delivery systems [11,12]), cell encapsulation is the only approach that, in principle, meets all of the essential prerequisites for a truly transformative medicine. This technology overcomes many of the fundamental obstacles encountered by other approaches by providing a targeted, continuous, de novo synthesized source of molecules that can be distributed over significant portions of the body or within tightly regulated compartments, such as the brain [13].…”

Nanotechnology as a Platform for the Development of Injectable Parenteral Formulations: A Comprehensive Review of the Know-Hows and State of the Art

“…Relative to free drug molecules, nanoparticles can also facilitate drug targeting to the CNS, which in particular paves the way for the treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders [ 269 ]. The key role of many nanocarriers within this context lies within the ability of long-circulating nanoparticles to circumvent the blood brain barrier (BBB).…”