Nose To Brain Drug Delivery: Advancements On Skipping The Blood-Brain Barrier Review Article

Abstract

Introduction: Treatment of Brain Disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc. has been challenging due to a variety
of obstacles in the way for effective delivery of the drugs to the brain. Intranasal drug delivery (INDD) is a noninvasive and convenient route of drug intake and hence has been useful for drugs targeting neurological (brain)
disorders. This method bypasses the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB), delivering the medication directly to the brain. The
Intranasal route is the direct transportation of drugs via the Olfactory and Trigeminal nerve pathways to the brain
overcoming the BBB. An enormous range of Macromolecular to Micromolecular medications can be delivered to the
CNS via this pathway.
Areas Covered: Present review highlights the Anatomy and Physiology of the Nasal Cavity, the pathway of haulage
across the nasal epithelium, and the potential of the intranasal drug delivery. The review also discusses various pros
and cons of this route, the available traditional and novel INDDS's, techniques, devices, and presently available
medications for the treatment of Brain Disorders.
Expert Opinion: Nose to Brain Drug Delivery or INDDS offers a non-invasive, safe, and convenient route of direct
drug administration to the brain. This route helps increase the bioavailability of the drug and even reduces the
amount of drug concentration required in contrast to the traditional drug delivery systems. Bypassing the BBB is an
important factor due to the low permeability of some drugs, and INDDS helps overcome this barrier.