Particulate systems for improving therapeutic efficacy of pharmaceuticals against central nervous system-related diseases

Abstract

Central nervous system (CNS)-related disease treatments using pharmaceuticals lack therapeutic efficacy due to unknown pathologies and the inability of remedies to pass through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB acting as a CNS protector plays a predominant role as a barricade to drugs, monoclonal antibodies and small interfering ribonucleic acids to achieve effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's diseases (PD) and glioblastoma mutiforme (GBM). The biomaterial-incorporated drug delivery carrier (DDC) eases the passage of active pharmaceutical ingredients across the BBB and delivers them to diseased tissue with improved bioavailability. The surface of DDC can be modified with ligands, such as dual functional DDC with one to traverse the BBB via interacting with receptors on endothelial membrane without causing much damage to BBB integrity, and with another to target specific disease sites after reaching the brain for sustained release of active ingredients carried by the DDC. Polymer nanoparticles, liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles, including nanostructured lipid carriers, have been widely studied as DDC with good biocompatibility to transport pharmaceuticals to the brain and prolong medicinal activity. The present review deals with recently developed biomaterial-based DDC and their surface modification that enhance docking capability of active ingredients to permeate the BBB and to treat AD, PD and GBM.