Transnasal targeted delivery of therapeutics in central nervous system diseases: a narrative review

Currently, neurointervention, surgery, medication, and central nervous system (CNS) stimulation are the main treatments used in CNS diseases. These approaches are used to overcome the blood brain barrier (BBB), but they have limitations that necessitate the development of targeted delivery methods. Thus, recent research has focused on spatiotemporally direct and indirect targeted delivery methods because they decrease the effect on nontarget cells, thus minimizing side effects and increasing the patient’s quality of life. Methods that enable therapeutics to be directly passed through the BBB to facilitate delivery to target cells include the use of nanomedicine (nanoparticles and extracellular vesicles), and magnetic field-mediated delivery. Nanoparticles are divided into organic, inorganic types depending on their outer shell composition. Extracellular vesicles consist of apoptotic bodies, microvesicles, and exosomes. Magnetic field-mediated delivery methods include magnetic field-mediated passive/actively-assisted navigation, magnetotactic bacteria, magnetic resonance navigation, and magnetic nanobots—in developmental chronological order of when they were developed. Indirect methods increase the BBB permeability, allowing therapeutics to reach the CNS, and include chemical delivery and mechanical delivery (focused ultrasound and LASER therapy). Chemical methods (chemical permeation enhancers) include mannitol, a prevalent BBB permeabilizer, and other chemicals—bradykinin and 1-O-pentylglycerol—to resolve the limitations of mannitol. Focused ultrasound is in either high intensity or low intensity. LASER therapies includes three types: laser interstitial therapy, photodynamic therapy, and photobiomodulation therapy. The combination of direct and indirect methods is not as common as their individual use but represents an area for further research in the field. This review aims to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of these methods, describe the combined use of direct and indirect deliveries, and provide the future prospects of each targeted delivery method. We conclude that the most promising method is the nose-to-CNS delivery of hybrid nanomedicine, multiple combination of organic, inorganic nanoparticles and exosomes, via magnetic resonance navigation following preconditioning treatment with photobiomodulation therapy or focused ultrasound in low intensity as a strategy for differentiating this review from others on targeted CNS delivery; however, additional studies are needed to demonstrate the application of this approach in more complex in vivo pathways.