Design and Development of Nanomaterial-Based Drug Carriers to Overcome the Blood–Brain Barrier by Using Different Transport Mechanisms |
| |
Authors: | Jisu Song Chao Lu Jerzy Leszek Jin Zhang |
| |
Affiliation: | 1.School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Str., London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada;2.Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Str., London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada;3.Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 10, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland; |
| |
Abstract: | Central nervous system (CNS) diseases are the leading causes of death and disabilities in the world. It is quite challenging to treat CNS diseases efficiently because of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). It is a physical barrier with tight junction proteins and high selectivity to limit the substance transportation between the blood and neural tissues. Thus, it is important to understand BBB transport mechanisms for developing novel drug carriers to overcome the BBB. This paper introduces the structure of the BBB and its physiological transport mechanisms. Meanwhile, different strategies for crossing the BBB by using nanomaterial-based drug carriers are reviewed, including carrier-mediated, adsorptive-mediated, and receptor-mediated transcytosis. Since the viral-induced CNS diseases are associated with BBB breakdown, various neurotropic viruses and their mechanisms on BBB disruption are reviewed and discussed, which are considered as an alternative solution to overcome the BBB. Therefore, most recent studies on virus-mimicking nanocarriers for drug delivery to cross the BBB are also reviewed and discussed. On the other hand, the routes of administration of drug-loaded nanocarriers to the CNS have been reviewed. In sum, this paper reviews and discusses various strategies and routes of nano-formulated drug delivery systems across the BBB to the brain, which will contribute to the advanced diagnosis and treatment of CNS diseases. |
| |
Keywords: | blood– brain barrier nanomaterials brain drug delivery BBB viral disruption transnasal route |
|
|