Neurological disorders and therapeutics targeted to surmount the blood–brain barrier

Jagat R Kanwar, Bhasker Sriramoju, Rupinder K Kanwar

Nanomedicine Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research, Centre for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia

Abstract: We are now in an aging population, so neurological disorders, particularly the neurodegenerative diseases, are becoming more prevalent in society. As per the epidemiological studies, Europe alone suffers 35% of the burden, indicating an alarming rate of disease progression. Further, treatment for these disorders is a challenging area due to the presence of the tightly regulated blood–brain barrier and its unique ability to protect the brain from xenobiotics. Conventional therapeutics, although effective, remain critically below levels of optimum therapeutic efficacy. Hence, methods to overcome the blood–brain barrier are currently a focus of research. Nanotechnological applications are gaining paramount importance in addressing this question, and yielding some promising results. This review addresses the pathophysiology of the more common neurological disorders and novel drug candidates, along with targeted nanoparticle applications for brain delivery.

Keywords: blood–brain barrier, neurological diseases, brain delivery, targeted nanoparticles