Formulation Strategies for Nose-to-Brain Drug Delivery

Abstract

Background: Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, and others are becoming more common globally due to people’s changing lifestyles. Furthermore, the presence of the Blood-Brain barrier and other limitations of oral and other routes of administration makes drug delivery to the brain somewhat tricky. As a result, numerous novel drug delivery systems are being developed for drug administration to the brain. However, nose-to-brain administration is one of the most effective, safe, and non-invasive methods. Purpose: To discuss nose-to-brain delivery as a novel drug delivery system in the treatment of various brain disorders and to provide information about various formulation strategies designed to deliver the drug to the brain effectively. Methods: A preliminary search was conducted in the PubMed, OVID Medline, Embase, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases using keywords such as “Intranasal delivery, nose-to-brain drug transport, formulations for intranasal delivery.” Results: Various marketed formulations for nose-to-brain drug delivery are listed in this review, like naringenin, donepezil, pentamidine, rivastigmine, efavirenz, desvenlafaxine, lamotrigine, haloperidol, nimodipine, olanzapine, valproic acid, ovalbumin, clonazepam, fentanyl citrate, nifedipine in the form of poloxamer chitosan-based nano-formulation, nano-emulsion, chitosan niosomes, chitosan containing emulsion, solid-lipid nanoparticles, PLGA-chitosan nanoparticles, solution, mucoadhesive microemulsion, nanostructured lipid carriers, cationic liposomes, peptide-attached liposomes, multimellar liposomes with their research findings in treating various brain disorders. Conclusion: This review discusses nose-to-brain drug delivery processes, the pathway for its action, advantages over other delivery routes, barriers to this system, and current formulation strategies for nose-to-brain transport.