Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disorder characterized by loss of the myelin sheath. Since the myelin sheath could insulate nerve fibers from the surrounding environment, its loss would result in dysfunction of the affected neurons in transmitting electrical signals, thus leading to sensation and motor disabilities. The treatment of MS is accompanied by a low treatment efficacy due to the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and occurrence of side effects due to a poor targeting efficacy. To overcome these obstacles of traditional MS treatment methods, nanomedicines have recently been employed to deliver MS therapeutic agents to the lesions. With deep BBB penetration and specific targeting, these nano-based interventions have received positively encouraging results and become another potential MS treatment method with better therapeutic outcomes. This review will focus on recent advances in nanomedicines for the treatment of MS by critically analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. We will propose perspectives on the development of these MS therapeutic nanomaterials.
Keywords: multiple sclerosis; nano-based therapy; nanomedicine; neurodegenerative disease; neuroinflammatory disease; neuroprotection.