Targeting nanoparticles to the brain by exploiting the blood-brain barrier impermeability to selectively label the brain endothelium.

ABSTRACT: Current strategies to direct therapy-loaded nanoparticles to the brain rely on functionalizing nanoparticles with ligands which bind target proteins associated with the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, such strategies have significant brain-specificity limitations, as target proteins are not exclusively expressed at the brain microvasculature. Therefore, novel strategies which exploit alternative characteristics of the BBB are required to overcome nonspecific nanoparticle targeting to the periphery, thereby increasing drug efficacy and reducing detrimental peripheral side effects. Here, we present a simple, yet counterintuitive, brain-targeting strategy which exploits the higher impermeability of the BBB to selectively label the brain endothelium. This is achieved by harnessing the lowe

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez-Carter D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7431083 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature