Abstract

Crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and treating brain disorders by delivering therapeutic agents to specific regions of the brain is a challenge. The BBB, naturally evolved, protective physiological barrier acts as a selective permeable membrane in such a way that it allows only nonionic molecules and molecules of low molecular weight to pass through. Treating brain tumor has become a great challenge as the drug molecules of larger size are not able to cross the BBB and reach the target site. The incompetence of techniques for brain-specific delivery of therapeutic molecules has led researchers to increasingly explore the diagnosis and treatment of disorders incurable with present techniques. This article is to discuss the various techniques or methods to deliver drugs to the brain crossing the BBB.

Keywords: Brain tumor, blood-brain barrier (BBB), targeted drug delivery, nanoparticles, therapeutic agents, nonionic molecules.