Advances in the development and application of nanofibrous systems for intranasal drug delivery

Intranasal drug delivery has emerged as an attractive noninvasive route for local, systemic, and central nervous system (CNS) therapy due to its rapid absorption, avoidance of first-pass metabolism, and potential for nose-to-brain transport. However, the effectiveness of this route is limited by mucociliary clearance, mucus, enzymatic degradation, and poor epithelial permeability. Electrospun fibrous systems have gained increasing attention as intranasal platforms capable of simultaneously addressing these challenges through tailored polymer/excipient selection and formulation design. This review summarizes advances in electrospun intranasal systems and the influence of formulation characteristics on drug-mucosa interactions based on English-language articles identified through PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from January 2010 to May 2026, supplemented by manual reference screening. Mucoadhesive polymers improve drug retention, fast-dissolving polymers promote rapid release and sustained-release polymers prolong drug availability. Particular focus is placed on three complementary mechanisms employed to overcome nasal barriers: mucoadhesion, mucopenetration, and permeation enhancement, which improve nasal retention, mucus transport, epithelial permeation, and biomolecule stability. Recent studies support the potential of electrospun systems for local, systemic, and experimental nose-to-brain delivery, highlighting multifunctional nanofibrous platforms as promising candidates for future intranasal therapies.