Ageing brain may affect effectiveness of nanoparticle-based drug delivery: BITS Pilani review
Pilani, Sept 22 (TNT): Researchers from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani and institutions in Taiwan have highlighted the challenges posed by ageing-related changes in the brain for delivering medicines to targeted areas.
A multi-institutional review published in the peer-reviewed journal Ageing Research Reviews notes that crossing the blood-brain barrier alone may not ensure that a drug reaches its intended target or works effectively in an ageing brain.
The review examines how ageing-related changes in blood flow, fluid movement, waste clearance and immune activity can influence the movement, distribution and drug-release behaviour of nanoparticles used for drug delivery.
The review was authored by researchers from Taipei Medical University and affiliated institutions in Taiwan, with Dr Rajeev Taliyan of the Neuropsychopharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacy, BITS Pilani, as a collaborating author.
“Crossing the blood-brain barrier is only the first step in delivering medicines to the brain. As we age, the brain undergoes several changes that can affect how a medicine reaches its target and how well it works,” Dr Taliyan said.
The review points out that drug-delivery systems are often evaluated using young and healthy brains, which may differ significantly from ageing brains.
Changes in blood vessels, reduced efficiency of the brain’s waste-clearance system and alterations in immune activity may affect how nanoparticles behave in older individuals.
The authors suggest developing drug-delivery systems that can respond to changes associated with ageing and disease.
They also highlight the potential importance of administering medicines at appropriate times and using patient-specific information to guide treatment.
The review further stresses the need to test drug-delivery systems in advanced and realistic biological models before clinical application to better understand their behaviour in the blood and brain of older individuals.
The authors said a greater focus on what happens to medicines after they cross the blood-brain barrier could contribute to the development of safer and more effective treatments for age-related neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
TNT KS
