Nanomedicine-Based Approaches for Therapeutic Delivery Across the Blood-Brain Barrier in Neurological Disorders

Therapeutic delivery to the Central Nervous System (CNS) is challenging for formulation scientists due to the transfer of therapeutics across the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). The BBB consists of a selective semi-permeable anatomical structure of the capillary basement membrane, capillary endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes. It restricts the drug transfer from the blood compartment to the brain tissues. Therefore, the desirable effects of various therapeutics in different CNS disorders (like Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, etc.) require the transfer of drugs across the BBB. Hence, various approaches have been explored for deeper penetration of CNS-acting drugs across the BBB. Among various formulation approaches, Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) utilizing colloidal carrier systems are one of the most promising strategies to overcome BBB limitations and achieve brain targeting in different CNS disorders. This review provides a comprehensive discussion of drug delivery challenges across the BBB and technology advancements utilized to achieve improved therapeutic efficacy in different CNS disorders.