Recent advances of nanoparticles for ischemic stroke therapy

Ischemic stroke (IS), as a cerebrovascular disease caused by interrupted blood supply to the neurons, results in a high prevalence of disability and mortality worldwide. Traditional treatment methods including antithrombotic and neuroprotective treatment have been limited by the blood-brain barrier. Nanoparticles (NPs)-based delivery systems explore new possibility for IS therapy because NPs could enhance the targeting ability of drugs the IS region, thus improving the treatment effect. In this review, we first described the pathophysiology of IS. Then, the state-of-the-art progress of NPs-based recanalization and neuroprotection was summarized. Finally, we discussed the translational challenges and future directions of NPs-based IS therapy. The literature search included PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar covering the period from January 2010 to September 2025.