Nanotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis: Targeting the immune system to deliver drugs to the central nervous system and inducing remyelination

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, and demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). Its pathogenesis involves a complex interaction among peripheral immune responses, neuroinflammation, glial cell dysfunction, axonal and neuronal damage, and disruption of remyelination. Although a wide variety of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have been developed in recent decades, many of these treatments are mainly focused on controlling inflammation and reducing disease activity, and have limited ability to repair damage caused to the CNS. The limited passage of many therapeutic compounds through the blood-brain barrier (BBB), non-specific drug distribution, systemic toxicity, and the need for long-term administration are considered to be the most important challenges of MS treatment. Based on these challenges, nanotechnology is considered an emerging strategy to improve drug delivery, cellular and molecular targeting, bioavailability, drug-release control, and side effects from systemic exposure. Various types of nanocarriers, including liposomes, lipid nanoparticles, polymer nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, and magnetic nanoparticles, have been investigated in preclinical models of MS, especially experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). These systems have been used not only to deliver anti-inflammatory drugs but also to induce antigen-specific immune tolerance, target immune cells, transfer RNA and microRNA, and stimulate remyelination. Despite this progress, most available evidence remains in the preclinical stage. Many challenges, such as effective passage of BBB nanoparticles, differences in results between animal models and human MS, and production at clinical scale, are among the important obstacles which cause need more research.

کلیدواژه ها:

Multiple sclerosis ، Nanomedicines ، Drug delivery ، Blood-brain barrier ، Remyelination ، Central nervous system