Treatment of neurodegenerative disorders through the blood-brain barrier using nanocarriers

Nanoscale. 2018 Sep 20;10(36):16962-16983. doi: 10.1039/c8nr04073g.

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases refer to disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) that are caused by neuronal degradations, dysfunctions, or death. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease (APHD) are regarded as the three major neurodegenerative diseases. There is a vast body of literature on the causes and treatments of these neurodegenerative diseases. However, the main obstacle in developing an effective treatment strategy is the permeability of the treatment components at the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Several strategies have been developed to improve this obstruction. For example, nanomaterials facilitate drug delivery to the BBB due to their size. They have been used widely in nanomedicine and as nanoprobes for diagnosis purposes among others in neuroscience. Nanomaterials in different forms, such as nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), and liposomes, have been used to treat neurodegenerative diseases. This review will cover the basic concepts and applications of nanomaterials in the therapy of APHD.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Blood-Brain Barrier*
  • Drug Delivery Systems*
  • Emulsions / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Liposomes / therapeutic use
  • Nanomedicine
  • Nanoparticles / therapeutic use*
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Emulsions
  • Liposomes