Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) disorders encompass a vast spectrum of pathological conditions and represent a growing concern worldwide. Despite the high social and clinical interest in trying to solve these pathologies, there are many challenges to bridge in order to achieve an effective therapy. One of the main obstacles to advancements in this field that has hampered many of the therapeutic strategies proposed to date is the presence of the CNS barriers that restrict the access to the brain. However, adequate brain biodistribution and neuronal cells specific accumulation in the targeted site also represent major hurdles to the attainment of a successful CNS treatment. Over the last few years, nanotechnology has taken a step forward towards the development of therapeutics in neurologic diseases and different approaches have been developed to surpass these obstacles. The versatility of the designed nanocarriers in terms of physical and chemical properties, and the possibility to functionalize them with specific moieties, have resulted in improved neurotargeted delivery profiles. With the concomitant progress in biology research, many of these strategies have been inspired by nature and have taken advantage of physiological processes to achieve brain delivery. Here, the different nanosystems and targeting moieties used to achieve a neuronal delivery reported in the open literature are comprehensively reviewed and critically discussed, with emphasis on the most recent bioinspired advances in the field. Finally, we express our view on the paramount challenges in targeted neuronal delivery that need to be overcome for these promising therapeutics to move from the bench to the bedside.
Highlights
Neurological disorders are one of the major causes of death (9 million in 2016) and the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (276 million in 2016) worldwide [1]
The number of people suffering from central nervous system (CNS) disorders has increased dramatically in the last few decades due to the population growing and aging, placing a tremendous burden on families and social economies [1]
With the progress of the nanotechnology field, one expects to observe great advances in CNS therapeutics, since nanoscaled biomaterials are anticipated to serve as promising delivery platforms for therapeuticmolecules, being able to overcome the referred caveats
Summary
Neurological disorders are one of the major causes of death (9 million in 2016) and the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (276 million in 2016) worldwide [1]. CNS disorders encompass a huge number of pathological conditions induced by injuries or diseases, such as stroke, primary and metastatic tumors of the CNS, CNS infections, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and multiple sclerosis, among others [2,3] Despite this alarming scenario, there is a lack of effective therapies for the great majority of CNS disorders. Major efforts have been taken in the development of nanotechnology strategies with targeting properties to increase the bioavailability and delivery efficiency at the specific CNS or neuronal site. In any administration of a therapeutic agent aimed at the CNS, there is the challenge in reaching the tissue first and neurons or other cell types later, as very few molecules have the ability to cross the CNS barriers. We will present some of the developed nanobiomedical approaches, with particular focus on the bioinspired neuronal-targeted ones, as well as the main challenges along the delivery path that these therapeutic strategies may find
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
