Nano-delivery systems as a promising therapeutic potential for epilepsy: Current status and future perspectives

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder caused by aberrant neuronal electrical activity. Antiseizure medications (ASMs) are the first line of treatment for people with epilepsy (PWE). However, their effectiveness may be limited by their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), among many other potential underpinnings for drug resistance in epilepsy. Therefore, there is a need to overcome this issue and, hopefully, improve the effectiveness of ASMs. Recently, synthetic nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have received attention for improving the effectiveness of ASMs due to their ability to cross the BBB. Furthermore, exosomes have emerged as a promising generation of drug delivery systems because of their potential benefits over synthetic nanoparticles. In this narrative review, we focus on various synthetic nanoparticles that have been studied to deliver ASMs. Furthermore, the benefits and limitations of each nano-delivery system have been discussed. Finally, we discuss exosomes as potentially promising delivery tools for treating epilepsy.

Automated summary

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by erratic neuronal electrical activity. Antiseizure medications (ASMs) are the primary treatment but are limited by their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Recent research has focused on synthetic nanoparticles and exosomes as potential drug delivery systems to enhance the effectiveness of ASMs. This review discusses various synthetic nanoparticles studied for delivering ASMs and highlights the potential of exosomes as a promising drug delivery tool for treating epilepsy.