International Journal of Nanomedicine (Jul 2019)
Recent expansions of novel strategies towards the drug targeting into the brain
Abstract
Amit Alexander,1 Mukta Agrawal,1 Ajaz Uddin,1 Sabahuddin Siddique,2 Ahmed M Shehata,3,4 Mahmoud A Shaker,5,6 Syed Ata Ur Rahman,7 Mohi Iqbal M Abdul,3 Mohamed A Shaker6,71Department of Pharmaceutics, Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India; 2Patel College of Pharmacy, Madhyanchal Professional University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; 3Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt; 5Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 6Pharmaceutics Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt; 7Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology Department, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaAbstract: The treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders always remains a challenge for the researchers. The presence of various physiological barriers, primarily the blood–brain barrier (BBB) limits the accessibility of the brain and hinders the efficacy of various drug therapies. Hence, drug targeting to the brain, particularly to the diseased cells by circumventing the physiological barriers is essential to develop a promising therapy for the treatment of brain disorders. Presently, the investigations emphasize the role of different nanocarrier systems or surface modified target specific novel carrier system to improve the efficiency and reduce the side effects of the brain therapeutics. Such approaches supposed to circumvent the BBB or have the ability to cross the barrier function and thus increases the drug concentration in the brain. Although the efficacy of novel carrier system depends upon various physiological factors like active efflux transport, protein corona of the brain, stability, and toxicity of the nanocarrier, physicochemical properties, patient-related factors and many more. Hence, to develop a promising carrier system, it is essential to understand the physiology of the brain and BBB and also the other associated factors. Along with this, some alternative route like direct nose-to-brain drug delivery can also offer a better means to access the brain without exposure of the BBB. In this review, we have discussed the role of various physiological barriers including the BBB and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) on the drug therapy and the mechanism of drug transport across the BBB. Further, we discussed different novel strategies for brain targeting of drug including, polymeric nanoparticles, lipidic nanoparticles, inorganic nanoparticles, liposomes, nanogels, nanoemulsions, dendrimers, quantum dots, etc. along with the intranasal drug delivery to the brain. We have also illustrated various factors affecting the drug targeting efficiency of the developed novel carrier system.Keywords: brain, drug targeting, nanocarrier, BBB, liposome, intranasal drug delivery
