Abstract

The treatment of brain disorders is particularly challenging due to the presence of a variety of formidable obstacles to deliver drugs selectively and effectively to the brain. Blood-brain-barrier (BBB) constitutes the major obstacle to the uptake of drugs into the brain following systemic administration. Intranasal delivery offers a non-invasive and convenient method to bypass the BBB and delivery of therapeutics directly to the brain. The review discusses the potential of intranasal route to deliver drugs to the brain, the mechanisms and pathways of direct nose to brain drug transport, the various factors influencing transnasal drug absorption, the conventional and novel intranasal drug delivery systems, the various intranasal drug delivery techniques and devices, and examples of brain drug transport that have been feasible in treating various brain disorders. Moreover, products on the market, investigational drugs, and the author’s perceptions about the prospect of intranasal delivery for treating brain disorders are also been discussed.

Keywords: Nasal drug delivery, brain, drug targeting, delivery techniques, delivery systems and devices, Blood-brain-barrier (BBB), brain drug transport, various brain disorders, investigational drugs, exogenous molecules, the choroid plexus epithelium, cerebrospinal fluid, brain capillary endothelium, hydrophilic