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Intranasal Administration for Pain: Oxytocin and Other Polypeptides
Vimala N Bharadwaj1, Alexander Z Tzabazis2, Michael Klukinov1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Pharmaceutics
|August 10, 2021
Summary
Intranasal delivery of polypeptides offers a promising, non-invasive method for treating chronic pain. This approach bypasses degradation and the blood-brain barrier, reaching the nervous system to provide significant analgesic effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Pain Management
Background:
- Chronic pain is a debilitating condition linked to neuroplasticity.
- Polypeptides show therapeutic potential for pain but face delivery challenges.
- The blood-brain barrier and peripheral degradation limit polypeptide access to the nervous system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the delivery of polypeptides to the central and peripheral nervous systems via intranasal administration.
- To explore the potential of intranasal polypeptide delivery for chronic pain management.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of existing studies on intranasal polypeptide delivery.
- Discussion of the nasal-cerebral pathway mechanism.
- Examination of studies using oxytocin as an example polypeptide.
Main Results:
- Intranasal administration allows polypeptides to reach key pain-modulating regions in the nervous system.
- Studies demonstrate significant analgesic effects from intranasally delivered polypeptides like oxytocin.
- Intranasal delivery bypasses systemic degradation and the blood-brain barrier.
Conclusions:
- Intranasal polypeptide delivery is a viable strategy for targeting the nervous system.
- This method offers a non-invasive, rapid, and effective route for chronic pain treatment.
- Further research into intranasal polypeptide delivery holds significant promise for pain therapeutics.
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