Title:The Sojourn of Polymeric Micelles for Effective Brain Drug Delivery
System
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Author(s): Prabhjot Kaur, Ankita Rajput, Dilpreet Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Anshula Mehra, Sarabjit Kaur, Neena Bedi and Saroj Arora*
Affiliation:
- Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143005, India
Keywords:
Polymeric micelle, blood brain barrier, targeted delivery, formulations, stability, complex organ.
Abstract: The brain is a delicate organ and targeting neurological diseases with conventional approaches
is still a daunting task. This is due to the presence of necessary physiological barriers, mainly the
blood-brain barrier, that blocks the entry of dangerous and poisonous substances from the bloodstream,
thus helping in maintaining homeostasis. Furthermore, the presence of multidrug resistance transporters
which act by prohibiting the entry of drugs across the cell membrane and by channelizing them to the
outside environment is another defense mechanism. Despite the advancements in the understanding of
disease pathology, only a restricted number of drugs and drug therapies can treat and target neurological
diseases. To overcome this shortcoming, the therapeutic approach using amphiphilic block copolymers -
using polymeric micelles has gained momentum because of its wide applications like drug targeting,
delivery, and imaging. Polymeric micelles are nanocarriers that arise when amphiphilic block copolymers
spontaneously assemble in aqueous solutions. The hydrophobic core–hydrophilic shell configuration
of these nanoparticles makes it easier to load hydrophobic drugs into the core and as a result, the
solubility of these medications is improved. Micelle-based drug delivery carriers can target the brain
with reticuloendothelial system uptake and produce a long-circulating effect. PMs can also be combined
with targeting ligands that increase their uptake by specific cells and thus decreasing off-target effects.
In the present review, we primarily focused on polymeric micelles for brain delivery along with the
method of preparation, mechanism of micelle formulation, and the ongoing formulations under clinical
trials for brain delivery.