Nasal Drug Delivery: A Potential Route for Brain Targetting

Abstract

Present review highlights the potential of nasal mucosa as an administration route for targeting the centralnervous system, the brain. Targeted drug delivery seeks to concentrate the medication in the tissues ofinterest while reducing the relative concentration of medication in the remaining tissues. Thus improvingefficacy of the drug and reducing side effects. The nasal mucosa when compared to other mucousmembranes is easily accessible and provides a practical entrance portal for small and large molecules.Intranasal administration offers rapid onset of action, no first-pass effect, no gastrointestinal degradationor lung toxicity and non-invasiveness application and also improves bioavailability. It is thought thatolfactory route of drug transport, by pass the blood-brain barrier and allows the direct transport of drugfrom the nose to the brain. This review provides an overview of strategies to improve the drug delivery tobrain via nasal mucosa and recent advances in this field.