Exploring prodrug approaches for Alzheimer's treatment: an overview

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the largest global health burden among age-related conditions; it involves inflammation, plaque buildup, and oxidative stress combined with tangles that lead to brain atrophy and a decline in cognitive function. Though intensive research efforts have been focused on identifying the etiology of AD, its causative factors, especially concerning therapeutic interventions that can make a significant impact in this regard, are relatively vague due to several impediments such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Prodrugs and nanomedicine deliver new promising alternatives for drug administration over the BBB with better therapeutic results. This paper documents several prodrugs created for AD along with in vitro techniques for analyzing prodrug kinetics and recently developed nanotechnology-based delivery systems. The innovations discussed herein aim to enhance the bioavailability, stability, and activity of drugs toward offering better treatment opportunities as well as new research avenues against AD.