Intranasal Nanoparticle Delivery System for Improved Cognitive Function in Alzheimer’s Disease
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by cognitive dysfunction, memory loss, and behavioral changes. Importantly, one of the most significant obstacles in AD treatment is the limited blood–brain permeability of therapeutic entities and consequently resulting ineffective drug transport to the central nervous system (CNS). The development of nanotechnology-based delivery systems has opened new avenues for effective brain-targeting of therapeutic agents. Of these, intranasal nanoparticle delivery systems provide both a less-invasive drug administration that can promote the targeting of drugs towards CNS through trigeminal or olfactory neural pathway without passing BBB. The current study describes the design and evaluation of a nanoparticle delivery system for intranasal administration that can enhance cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease. Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles encapsulated neuroprotective therapeutic agents. The formulation was characterized regarding particle size, zeta potential, drug loading efficiency and stability. Drug release profile and nasal mucosal permeability were studied through in vitro release studies and ex vivo permeation analyses respectively. The findings showed that the developed nanocarriers exhibited improved targeting to the brain, sustained release of drugs, enhanced neuronal protection and remarkable improvements in cognitive performance versus traditional routes of administration. These results suggest that intranasal nanoparticle delivery systems represent a promising therapeutic avenue in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by improving drug bioavailability and brain distribution. This strategy needs to be translated into therapies for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, which will require additional clinical exploration