Emerging anti-inflammatory nanosystems targeted to the brain

The neuroinflammation hypothesis suggests that neuroinflammation plays an important role in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammation is induced by several factors such as stimulatory signals derived from injured/dying cells, aggregated/modified proteins, and inflammatory mediators, including both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory compounds produced by infiltrating immune cells such as microglia and astrocytes. Controlling the neuroinflammation in the brain might be a fruitful therapeutic strategy to manage the different kinds of neurodegenerative disorders. The delivery of anti-inflammatory agents to the brain is one of the challenging tasks in managing neuroinflammation due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which restricts the entry of the anti-inflammatory agent to the brain. With the advancement of nanoscience and nanotechnology, nanoparticle-based therapeutics are drawing great attention over conventional therapies, including high biocompatibility, more precise targeting, and the ability to cross the BBB. This review summarizes the recent progress in nanotechnology to deliver anti-inflammatory agents to the brain for the management of neurodegenerative disorders associated with neuroinflammation.