New technologies for drug delivery across the blood brain barrier

Curr Pharm Des. 2004;10(12):1355-63. doi: 10.2174/1381612043384826.

Abstract

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) efficiently restricts penetration of therapeutic agents to the brain from the periphery. Therefore, discovery of new modalities allowing for effective delivery of drugs and biomacromolecules to the central nervous system (CNS) is of great need and importance for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. This manuscript focuses on three relatively new strategies. The first strategy involves inhibition of the drug efflux transporters expressed in BBB by Pluronic block copolymers, which allows for the increased transport of the substrates of these transporters to the brain. The second strategy involves the design of nanoparticles conjugated with specific ligands that can target receptors in the brain microvasculature and carry the drugs to the brain through the receptor mediated transcytosis. The third strategy involves artificial hydrophobization of peptides and proteins that facilitates the delivery of these peptides and proteins across BBB. This review discusses the current state, advantages and limitations of each of the three technologies and outlines their future prospects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood-Brain Barrier / drug effects
  • Blood-Brain Barrier / metabolism*
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods*
  • Drug Delivery Systems / trends
  • Humans
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding / drug effects
  • Protein Binding / physiology
  • Technology, Pharmaceutical / methods*
  • Technology, Pharmaceutical / trends

Substances

  • Pharmaceutical Preparations