Micellar Nanocarriers: Potential Nose-to-Brain Delivery of Zolmitriptan as Novel Migraine Therapy

The investigation was aimed at developing micellar nanocarriers for nose-to-brain delivery of zolmitriptan with the objective to investigate the pathway involved in the drug transport. The micellar nanocarrier was successfully formulated and characterized for particle size and shape by multi-angle dynamic light scattering, small angle neutron scattering and cryo-transmission electron microscopy. Toxicity and biodistribution studies were carried out in rat. The distribution of the nasally administered labeled micellar nanocarrier in various regions of the rat brain was determined using the brain localization and autoradiography studies. Micellar nanocarrier of zolmitriptan, with size of around 23 nm, was successfully formulated. The spherical nature of the nanocarrier was confirmed using DLS, SANS and cryo-TEM. Toxicity studies indicated the safety for administration in the nasal cavity. In vivo biodistribution studies indicated the superiority of the developed nanocarrier for brain targeting when compared with the intravenous and nasal solutions of the drug. Brain localization and autoradiography studies illustrated the distribution of the drug in various regions of the brain and revealed a possible nose-to-brain transport pathway for the labeled drug. The investigation indicated the potential of the developed nanocarrier as an effective new-generation vehicle for brain targeting of zolmitriptan.