• The efficacy of intravenously administrated nanoparticles in stroke and age-related neurodegenerative diseases
  • Sara Salatin,1,*
    1. Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran


  • Introduction: The mean global lifetime risk of neurological disorders such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Parkinson’s disease (PD) has shown a large effect on economy and society. The blood-brain-barrier (BBB) is a specialized multicellular barrier between peripheral blood circulation and neural tissue. BBB disruption is evident in many neurological conditions. The majority of currently available therapies have tremendous problems with drug delivery into the impaired brain. Nanoparticle (NP)-mediated drug delivery has been considered a profound substitute to solve this problem.
  • Methods: A wide variety of NPs has been displayed for the efficient brain delivery of therapeutics via intravenous administration, especially when their surfaces are coated with targeting moieties. Here, we discuss recent advances in the development of NP-based therapeutics for the treatment of stroke, PD, and AD, as well as the factors affecting their efficacy after systemic administration.
  • Results: NPs are able to enclose therapeutic agents conferring them protection, improving circulation time, and allowing a release of payload into the damaged brain site after intravenous administration. The use of specific ligands on the NPs surface has been highly proposed in the last decade. Moreover, the recent progress in antibody transport through the BBB can inspire NP bioengineers to fabricate novel systems with unique properties.
  • Conclusion: Intravenous administration enables a direct access of drugs to the systemic circulation, bypasses the gastrointestinal tract, and improves drug delivery to the brain. An increase of circulation time increases the probability of NPs interaction with the BBB, reaching the brain parenchyma. However, it is important to design remotely triggered NP-based formulations that release the cargo only after reaching the brain. Another therapeutic potential that deserves further investigation is the development of more efficient and well-controlled NPs that are able to target specific brain cells.
  • Keywords: Central nervous system, Stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Nanoparticles