Lipid-based Nanocarriers via Nose-to-Brain Pathway for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease

Neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by the progressive, irreversible deterioration of functions of the central nervous system, especially neurons, that lead to cognitive, motor, and intellectual impairment. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most prevalent forms of neurodegenerative disorders and are predicted to be leading causes of mortality. Although conventional formulations are available for symptomatic treatment of AD and PD, many novel formulations and routes of administration are persistently studied for their better management, and nose-to-brain delivery is one of them. This platform has been explored with various nanoformulations for targeted brain delivery. Lipid nanocarriers are known for bypassing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) through nasal delivery, and several drugs have been evaluated in the lipid carrier system. This review focuses on various lipid-based nanocarriers such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, microemulsions, nanoemulsions, micelles and cubosomes reported to treat and alleviate the symptoms of AD and PD via nasal route. It gives an overview of key findings of nasal lipid-based nanocarriers and their improved pharmacokinetic parameters and enhanced neuroprotection that may be utilized in the future to explore it commercially.