Brain, the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, plays the most vital role in every function of human body. However, many neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and infections of the brain become more prevalent as populations become older. In spite of the major advances in neuroscience, many potential therapeutics are still unable to reach the central nervous system (CNS) due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) which is formed by the tight junctions within the capillary endothelium of the vertebrate brain. This results in the capillary wall behaving as a continuous lipid bilayer and preventing the passage of polar and lipid insoluble substances. Several approaches for delivering drugs to the CNS have been developed to enhance the capacity of therapeutic molecules to cross the BBB by modifying the drug itself, or by coupling it to a vector for receptor-mediated, carrier mediated or adsorption-mediated transcytosis. The current challenge is to develop drug delivery systems that ensure the safe and effective passage of drugs across the BBB. This review focuses on the strategies and approaches developed to enhance drug delivery to the CNS.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720110793566245 | DOI Listing |
J Med Chem
January 2025
School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
Since decades after temozolomide was approved, no effective drugs have been developed. Undoubtedly, blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration is a severe issue that should be overcome in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) drug development. In this research, we were inspired by linezolid through structural modification with several bioactive moieties to achieve the desired brain delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Bioanal Chem
January 2025
Department of Chemistry and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been demonstrated to own the advantages in evading phagocytosis, crossing biological barriers, and possessing excellent biocompatibility and intrinsic stability. Based on these characteristics, EVs have been used as effective therapeutic carriers for drug delivery, but the low drug loading capacity greatly limits further applications. Herein, we developed a drug loading method based on cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) to enhance the encapsulation of therapeutic reagents in EVs, and EVs-based drug delivery system achieved higher killing efficacy to tumor cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemMedChem
January 2025
UMR-CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et des Matériaux de Poitiers, groupe « Systèmes Moléculaires Programmés », Faculté des Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 4 rue Michel Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073, Poitiers, FRANCE.
The development of novel therapeutic strategies enabling the selective destruction of tumors while sparing healthy tissues is of great interest to improve the efficacy of cancer chemotherapy. In this context, we designed a β-glucuronidase-responsive albumin-binding prodrug programmed to release a potent Isocombretastatin A-4 analog within the tumor microenvironment. When injected at a non-toxic dose in mice bearing orthotopic triple-negative mammary tumors, this prodrug produced a significant anticancer activity, therefore offering a valuable alternative to the systemic administration of the parent drug.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomater Sci
January 2025
Department of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, No. 138, Tongzipo Road, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
Gemcitabine (GEM) is a first line chemotherapy drug for bladder cancer (BCa). GEM's lack of specificity has led to disadvantages, resulting in low efficiency, especially when combined with the targeted treatment of BCa stem cells (CSCs), which is considered the cause of BCa recurrence and progression. To enhance the anti-cancer effect and reduce the side effects of GEM targeting of BCa cells/CSCs, an aptamer drug conjugate (ApDC) targeted delivery system was used to improve the efficiency of GEM in BCa therapy using EpCAM aptamer-GEM conjugates based on the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), which is highly expressed on the cell membrane of BCa cells/CSCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin
January 2025
Department of Clinical Surgery, Cty Clin Emergency Hosp, Sibiu, Romania.
This study examines heat transfer and nanofluid-enhanced blood flow behaviour in stenotic arteries under inflammatory conditions, addressing critical challenges in cardiovascular health. The blood, treated as a Newtonian fluid, is augmented with gold nanoparticles to improve thermal conductivity and support drug delivery applications. A hybrid methodology combining finite element method (FEM) for numerical modelling and artificial neural networks (ANN) for stability prediction provides a robust analytical framework.
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