Strategies facilitating the permeation of nanoparticles through blood-brain barrier: An insight towards the development of brain-targeted drug delivery system

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a membrane barrier considered one of the most crucial protective architectures in the central nervous system (CNS). Its presence acts as a hurdle due to which most brain-targeted drug delivery systems (DDS) lose their therapeutic efficacy. Various strategies have been developed recently to assist drugs to cross the BBB. Nanoparticle (NP)-mediated DDS has emerged as an effective non-invasive tool for treating brain diseases, including cancer. NPs are considered an effective DDS, which can mediate the delivery of drugs even to deep-seated regions in the brain. NPs protect the therapeutic agents by encapsulating them and ensuring they reach the target site without metabolic degradation. This review will explore BBB's structural and functional aspects, including physiological mechanisms governing its penetration and various pathological modifications. Such insights are critical in formulating innovative strategies for successfully targeting damaged regions. Once the drug crosses BBB, its concentration, metabolic decomposition, and BBB's structure hold significance. Also, the different designed NP systems exploited for drug delivery to the brain have been extensively reviewed. This review forebodes the importance of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in developing personalized therapies.

Automated summary

The blood-brain barrier is a crucial protective architecture in the central nervous system, which hinders the efficacy of many brain-targeted drug delivery systems. Nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery systems have emerged as effective tools for treating brain diseases. This review explores the structural and functional aspects of the blood-brain barrier and the utilization of nanoparticle systems for drug delivery to the brain.