Transnasal PLGA Nanoparticles with Terpene Permeation Enhancers: Membrane Remodeling and Tight Junction Modulation for Enhanced Brain Drug Delivery

Abstract

Nasal nanodrug delivery has gained prominence as a non-invasive method for administering therapeutic agents to the brain. However, the limited nasal cavity volume and the low drug loading capacity of nanoparticles contribute to a reduced accumulation of the drug within the brain tissue. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of the drug delivery combination “transnasal route + nanoparticle drug delivery system + chemical osmosis technology” in promoting drug accumulation in the brain. We constructed an in vitro olfactory sheath cell model based on the direct nose–brain pathway and a vascular endothelial cell model based on the indirect pathway, and investigated the transport behaviors and mechanisms of Poly(lactic-co-glycolicacid)-Nanoparticles (PLGA-NPs) in combination with two terpene aroma constituents (menthol and curcumol). Menthol and curcumol significantly improved the intracellular accumulation of PLGA-NPs, which may be related to changes in the endocytosis pathway and intercellular tight junction proteins. Meanwhile, the results of laser scanning confocal microscopy and atomic force microscopy showed that menthol and curcumol disrupted different tight junction proteins of vascular endothelial cells, and the biomechanical properties (e.g., rigidity and roughness) of the olfactory sheath cells and vascular endothelial cell cytomembranes were also greatly changed. The delivery system of “transnasal route + nanoparticle drug delivery system + chemical osmosis technology” has great potential for intranasal delivery of drugs for the treatment of brain diseases.