Current insights on lipid nanocarrier-assisted drug delivery in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Current insights on lipid nanocarrier-assisted drug delivery in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2020 Jan 23;: Authors: Inês Teixeira M, Lopes CM, Helena Amaral M, Costa PC Abstract The central nervous system (CNS) is vulnerable to pathologic processes that lead to the development of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, Multiple sclerosis or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These are chronic and progressive pathologies characterized by the loss of neurons and the formation of misfolded proteins. Additionally, neurodegenerative diseases are accompanied by a structural and functional dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Although serving as a protection for CNS, the existence of physiological barriers, especially the BBB, limits the access of several therapeutic agents to the brain, constituting a major hindrance in neurotherapeutics advancement. In this regard, nanotechnology-based approaches have arisen as a promising strategy to not only improve drug targeting to the brain, but also to increase bioavailability. Lipid nanocarriers such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), microemulsions and nanoemulsions, have already proven their potential for enhancing brain transport, crossing more easily into the CNS and allowing the administration of medicines that could benefit the treatment of neurological pat...
Source: European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Eur J Pharm Biopharm Source Type: research