Solid lipid nanoparticles as a drug delivery system for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Introduction: The failure of many molecules as CNS bioactive compounds is due to many restrictions: poor water solubility, intestinal absorption, in vivo stability, bioavailability, therapeutic effectiveness, side effects, plasma fluctuations, and difficulty to cross physiological barriers like brain blood barrier (BBB) to deliver the drug directly to the site of action. Area covered: Nanotechnology-based approaches with the employment of liposomes, micelles, dendrimers, and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) as drug delivery systems, are used to overcome the above reported limitations. Here, we focus on the delivery of drugs based on SLN formulation to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Notably, SLN have the ability to protect drugs from chemical and enzymatic degradations, direct the active compounds towards the target site with a substantial reduction of toxicity for the adjacent tissues, and pass physiological barriers increasing bioavailability without high dosage forms. Expert opinion: We believe that SLN could represent a suitable tool to pass the BBB and permit drugs to reach CNS damaged areas of patients affected by neurodegenerative pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases