Strategies to deliver peptide drugs to the brain

Neurological diseases such as neurodegeneration, pain, psychiatric disorders, stroke and brain cancers would greatly benefit from the use of highly potent and specific peptide pharmaceuticals. Peptides are especially desirable because of their low inherent toxicity. The presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), their short duration of action and need for parenteral administration limits their clinical use. However, over the last decade there have been significant advances in delivering peptides to the central nervous system. Angiopep peptides developed by Angiochem, transferrin antibodies developed by Armagen and cell penetrating peptides have all shown promise in delivering therapeutic peptides across the BBB after intravenous administration. Non-invasive methods of delivering peptides to the brain include the use of chitosan amphiphilie nanoparticles for oral delivery and nose to brain strategies. The uptake of the chitosan amphiphile nanoparticles by the gastrointestinal epithelium is important for oral peptide delivery. Finally protecting peptides from plasma degradation is integral to the success of most of these peptide delivery strategies.