School of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Calicut-673601, Kerala, India.
Curr Med Chem. 2012;19(5):744-56. doi: 10.2174/092986712798992138.
Ischemic stroke is the second leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide, for which no effective therapies are available. The increasing prevalence of ischemic stroke and related health risks, combined with the lack of effective therapies, highlight the desperate need for continued research for exploring the safe and effective drugs, which favourably influence multiple pathways leading to neuroprotection and extend the benefit to a larger number of patients diagnosed with stroke. Numerous preclinical studies have reported very promising results using "neuroprotectants", all of which have failed at clinical trials because of either safety issues or lack of efficacy. The delivery of many potentially therapeutic neuroprotectants and diagnostic compounds to specific areas of the brain is restricted by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Nanoparticles (NPs) have colossal applications that could revolutionize the treatment of ischemic stroke. NPs can readily transmigrate across the BBB without compromising its integrity. Recent striking developments in nanotechnology have produced a great deal of nano-devices, which could be used for the treatment and neuronal regeneration following ischemic stroke. This article attempts to convey the untapped potentials of nanopharmaceuticals for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Looking towards the future, this review focuses on the potential applications of nanoparticulate systems for the delivery of therapeutic cargo into the brain for imparting neuroprotection against ischemic stroke. This review also provides an overview of targeted NPs, which are being used for imaging, neuroprotection and regeneration of ischemic brain.
缺血性中风是全球第二大致死原因和长期残疾原因，目前尚无有效的治疗方法。缺血性中风的发病率不断上升，相关健康风险不断增加，而有效的治疗方法却缺乏，这突出表明需要继续研究探索安全有效的药物，这些药物有利于影响多种导致神经保护的途径，并将获益扩展到更多被诊断为中风的患者。大量的临床前研究使用“神经保护剂”报告了非常有前景的结果，但由于安全性问题或缺乏疗效，所有这些都在临床试验中失败。许多潜在的治疗性神经保护剂和诊断化合物向大脑的特定区域的传递受到血脑屏障（BBB）的限制。纳米颗粒（NPs）具有巨大的应用潜力，可以彻底改变缺血性中风的治疗方法。NPs 可以轻易地穿过 BBB，而不会损害其完整性。纳米技术的最新显著发展产生了大量的纳米设备，可用于治疗缺血性中风后的神经元再生。本文试图传达纳米药物治疗缺血性中风的未开发潜力。展望未来，本综述重点介绍了纳米颗粒系统在将治疗性货物递送到大脑中以提供针对缺血性中风的神经保护方面的潜在应用。本综述还概述了用于缺血性大脑的成像、神经保护和再生的靶向 NPs。
