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The Blood-brain Barrier

The Blood-brain Barrier

Drug Delivery: Overview

Drug Delivery: Overview

The selection of a drug's delivery route depends upon its physicochemical properties, including lipid or water solubility and ionization, as well as the therapeutic requirement, such as immediate or sustained effect. These routes can be divided into three primary categories: enteral, parenteral, and topical.
Enteral delivery involves administering drugs directly through swallowing, sublingual placement, or buccal application. Orally administered drugs predominantly navigate the gastrointestinal...

Drug Delivery: Enteral Route

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The enteral drug administration involves three primary routes: oral, sublingual, and buccal. Oral ingestion is the most prevalent, safe, economical, and convenient method for drug administration. However, it has certain drawbacks, including limited absorption due to the drug's low water solubility or poor membrane permeability, possible emesis from GI mucosa irritation, destruction of drugs by digestive enzymes or low gastric pH, and irregular absorption along with food or other drugs.
Drugs in...

Drug Delivery: Parenteral Route

Drug Delivery: Parenteral Route

The parenteral route is a critical method of drug administration. It delivers compounds directly into the systemic circulation and bypasses the gastrointestinal tract. This approach is particularly advantageous for drugs that exhibit poor absorption or instability when administered orally.
There are three primary parenteral routes: intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC). The IV route introduces the drug directly into the bloodstream, ensuring immediate action. The IM route...

Drug Delivery: Miscellaneous Routes

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Drug delivery methods like oral inhalation, nasal sprays, transdermal patches, eye drops, intravitreal injection, and rectal administration provide localized effects with reduced toxicity.
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Modified-Release Drug Delivery Systems: Site-Targeted

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Site-targeted drug delivery systems enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity and treatment costs. Unlike conventional methods, these systems ensure precise drug delivery, improving bioavailability and reducing side effects. Targeted drug delivery is classified into three levels. First-order targeting directs drugs to the capillary beds of specific organs or tissues. Second-order targets specific cell types, such as tumor cells, using receptor-mediated interactions.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Heterotopic Mucosal Engrafting Procedure for Direct Drug Delivery to the Brain in Mice

Heterotopic Mucosal Engrafting Procedure for Direct Drug Delivery to the Brain in Mice

Published on: July 16, 2014

Drug delivery to damaged brain.

E H Lo¹, A B Singhal, V P Torchilin

¹Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, MGH East 149-2322, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. lo@helix.mgh.harvard.edu

Brain Research. Brain Research Reviews

|December 26, 2001

Summary

Delivering drugs to the brain is challenging due to natural barriers and issues from acute brain injury like stroke. Understanding these obstacles is key for developing effective brain drug delivery therapies.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Pharmacology
Biomedical Engineering

Background:

Specialized features of the brain's vasculature and fluids create significant barriers to drug delivery.
Acute brain injuries, such as stroke and trauma, introduce further complications.
Pathophysiological changes exacerbate challenges in delivering therapeutic agents to the brain.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the challenges and factors influencing drug delivery to the acutely damaged brain.
To identify pathophysiological events that impact drug delivery efficiency after stroke and trauma.
To provide a framework for optimizing drug delivery strategies in damaged brain tissue.

Main Methods:

Literature review focused on drug delivery to the brain.
Analysis of pathophysiological changes in acute brain injury.
Examination of factors affecting therapeutic agent transport.

Main Results:

Normal physiological barriers restrict drug entry into the brain.
Acute brain injury leads to blood-brain barrier disruptions, altered blood flow, edema, and increased intracranial pressure.
Metabolic changes and altered gene/protein expression further impede drug delivery.

Conclusions:

Optimizing drug delivery to damaged brain requires careful consideration of multiple pathophysiological factors.
Addressing these delivery challenges is crucial for translating research into clinical therapies for acute brain injury.
Further research is needed to develop effective drug delivery strategies for stroke and trauma patients.