Combining nanoscale magnetic nimodipine liposomes with magnetic resonance image for Parkinson's disease targeting therapy

Aim: To enhance drug targeting and blood-brain barrier penetration for Parkinson's disease (PD), a novel nanoscale magnetic nimodipine (NMD) delivery system was designed and prepared. Materials & methods: The PD rats were established and treated with free NMD or Fe3O4-modified NMD liposomes (Fe3O4-NMD-lips). Then, factional anisotropy values were measured by MRI to evaluate therapy efficacy. Results: Fe3O4-NMD-lips showed the best neuroprotective effect, and the NMD concentration of lesions was 2.5-fold higher in Fe3O4-NMD-lips group than that of free NMD group. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the magnetic drug system had a great potential to cross the blood-brain barrier and provided a noninvasive and effective therapeutic strategy for PD.