Effect of Surfactant Coating on Brain Targeting Polymeric Nanoparticles; a Review

Targeting of drugs to brain is one of the most challenging issues for pharmaceutical research as blood-brain barrier acts as an insurmountable obstacle for the passage of systemically delivered therapeutics and the brain extracellular matrix attributes to poor distribution of locally delivered drugs. Amongst various invasive or non-invasive methods to warrant blood-brain barrier, nanoparticle is one of promising ways to administer central nervous system drugs. The concept of nanoparticle-based drug targeting make a tremendous progress and gigantic era to overcome the above limitations with improved drug efficacy and reduced drug toxicity. In recent years, new strategies of surfactant coating of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles, which differ from conventional methodologies of brain targeting, have emerged at the forefront of medical science. The non-ionic surfactant, polysorbate 80 as a coating material promises an unparalleled opportunity for enhancement of brain targeting of colloidal particles. The aim of this review is to evaluate the potential application of surfactant-coated nanoparticles as drug carrier system for various central nervous system diseases.