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Khodaverdi K, Bakhshi A, Mozafari MR, Naghib SM. A review of chitosan-based nanocarriers as drug delivery systems for brain diseases: Critical challenges, outlooks and promises. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 278:134962. [PMID: 39179064 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
The administration of medicinal drugs orally or systemically limits the treatment of specific central nervous system (CNS) illnesses, such as certain types of brain cancers. These methods can lead to severe adverse reactions and inadequate transport of drugs to the brain, resulting in limited effectiveness. The CNS homeostasis is maintained by various barriers within the brain, such as the endothelial, epithelial, mesothelial, and glial barriers, which strictly control the movement of chemicals, solutes, and immune cells. Brain capillaries consist of endothelial cells (ECs) and perivascular pericytes, with pericytes playing a crucial role in maintaining the blood-brain barrier (BBB), influencing new blood vessel formation, and exhibiting secretory capabilities. This article summarizes the structural components and anatomical characteristics of the BBB. Intranasal administration, a non-invasive method, allows drugs to reach the brain by bypassing the BBB, while direct cerebral administration targets specific brain regions with high concentrations of therapeutic drugs. Technical and mechanical tools now exist to bypass the BBB, enabling the development of more potent and safer medications for neurological disorders. This review also covers clinical trials, formulations, challenges, and patents for a comprehensive perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khashayar Khodaverdi
- Nanotechnology Department, School of Advanced Technologies, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran 1684613114, Iran
| | - Ali Bakhshi
- Nanotechnology Department, School of Advanced Technologies, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran 1684613114, Iran; Australasian Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (ANNI), Monash University LPO, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia; Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Research Group, Department of Interdisciplinary Technologies, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - M R Mozafari
- Australasian Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (ANNI), Monash University LPO, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Seyed Morteza Naghib
- Nanotechnology Department, School of Advanced Technologies, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran 1684613114, Iran.
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McCartan R, Khorkova O, Volmar CH, Wahlestedt C. Nucleic acid-based therapeutics for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Front Genet 2023; 14:1250276. [PMID: 37662844 PMCID: PMC10468602 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1250276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acid-based therapeutics (NBTs) are an emerging class of drugs with potential for the treatment of a wide range of central nervous system conditions. To date, pertaining to CNS indications, there are two commercially available NBTs and a large number of ongoing clinical trials. However, these NBTs are applied directly to the brain due to very low blood brain barrier permeability. In this review, we outline recent advances in chemical modifications of NBTs and NBT delivery techniques intended to promote brain exposure, efficacy, and possible future systemic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn McCartan
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Olga Khorkova
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States
- OPKO Health, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Claude-Henry Volmar
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Claes Wahlestedt
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States
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Fihurka O, Wang Y, Hong Y, Lin X, Shen N, Yang H, Brown B, Mommer M, Zieneldien T, Li Y, Kim J, Li M, Cai J, Zhou Q, Cao C. Multi-Targeting Intranasal Nanoformulation as a Therapeutic for Alzheimer's Disease. Biomolecules 2023; 13:232. [PMID: 36830601 PMCID: PMC9953380 DOI: 10.3390/biom13020232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Melatonin, insulin, and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have been shown to reverse cognitive deficits and attenuate neuropathologies in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) when used individually. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic properties of long-term intranasal treatment with a novel nanoformulation containing melatonin, insulin, and THC in aged APPswe/PS1ΔE9 (APP/PS1) mice, a transgenic model of AD. Transgenic mice at the age of 12 months were intranasally administered with a new nanoformulation containing melatonin, insulin, and THC at doses of 0.04, 0.008, and 0.02 mg/kg, respectively, once daily for 3 months. The spatial memory of the mice was assessed using the radial arm water maze (RAWM) test before and after drug treatment. Brain tissues were collected at the end of the treatment period for the assessment of Aβ load, tauopathy state, and markers of mitochondrial function. The RAWM test revealed that the treatment with the melatonin-insulin-THC (MIT) nasal spray improved the spatial learning memory of APP/PS1 mice significantly. Results of protein analyses of brain homogenates indicated that MIT treatment significantly decreased the tau phosphorylation implicated in tau toxicity (p < 0.05) and the expression of CKMT1 associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, MIT significantly decreased the expression of two mitochondrial fusion-related proteins, Mfn2 and Opa1 (p < 0.01 for both), while increasing the expression of a mitophagy regulator, Parkin, suggesting a compensatory enhancement of mitophagy due to MIT-promoted mitochondrial fusion. In conclusion, this study was the first to demonstrate the ability of an MIT nanoformulation to improve spatial memory in AD mice through its multi-targeting effects on Aβ production, tau phosphorylation, and mitochondrial dynamics. Thus, MIT may be a safe and effective therapeutic for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Fihurka
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Yanhong Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Yuzhu Hong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Xiaoyang Lin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Ning Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Haiqiang Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Breanna Brown
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Marcus Mommer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Tarek Zieneldien
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Yitong Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Janice Kim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Minghua Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Qingyu Zhou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Chuanhai Cao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- USF-health Byrd Alzheimer Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
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Fihurka O, Aradi S, Sava V, Sanchez-Ramos J. Key Features in the Design and Function of Nanocarriers for Intranasal Administration of Gene Therapy in Huntington Disease. JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY AND NANOMATERIALS 2023; 4:55-69. [PMID: 37744989 PMCID: PMC10514752 DOI: 10.33696/nanotechnol.4.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
A major obstacle to fulfilling the therapeutic promise of gene therapies for hereditary brain diseases, such as Huntington' Disease (HD), is the requirement for viral vectors and/or an invasive delivery system (stereotaxic injection into brain or infusion into the intrathecal space). HD is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease for which several clinical trials have demonstrated gene-lowering effects following intrathecal administration. These technical limitations have given impetus to the development of alternative non-invasive delivery systems for gene therapy of brain diseases. The overall objective of this review is to discuss the key features in the design of nanocarriers for intranasal administration of gene-therapy for HD, focusing primarily on our series of published work on the use of nanocarriers for gene therapy. Design and development of nanocarriers packaged with gene-lowering agents represents a significant advance towards non-invasive nose-to-brain delivery of gene therapy for HD and other hereditary brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Fihurka
- Department of Neurology, University of South Florida, USA
| | - Stephen Aradi
- Department of Neurology, University of South Florida, USA
| | - Vasyl Sava
- Department of Neurology, University of South Florida, USA
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The Memory Benefit to Aged APP/PS1 Mice from Long-Term Intranasal Treatment of Low-Dose THC. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084253. [PMID: 35457070 PMCID: PMC9029288 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
THC has been used as a promising treatment approach for neurological disorders, but the highly psychoactive effects have largely warned off many scientists from pursuing it further. We conducted an intranasal treatment using low-dose THC on 12-month-old APP/PS1 mice daily for 3 months to overcome any potential psychoactive response induced by the systemic delivery. Our results demonstrate that the THC nasal treatment at 0.002 and 0.02 mg/kg significantly slowed the memory decline compared to that in the vehicle-treated transgenic mouse control group. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that the Aβ1–40 and 1–42 peptides decreased in the THC-treated groups. The Western blot data indicate that long-term low-dose THC intranasal administration promoted p-tau level reduction and mitochondrial function marker redistribution. The blood biochemical parameter data demonstrate some insignificant changes in cytokine, immunoglobulin, and immune cell profiles during intranasal THC treatment. Intranasal delivery is a non-invasive and convenient method that rapidly targets therapeutics to the brain, minimizing systemic exposure to avoid unwanted adverse effects. Our study provides new insights into the role of low-dose THC intranasal treatment as a pharmacological strategy to counteract alterations in Alzheimer’s disease-related cognitive performance.
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