Intranasal Drug Delivery Systems for Central Nervous System Applications
Summary
Intranasal drug delivery systems offer a non-invasive approach to transporting therapeutic agents directly to the central nervous system by circumventing the blood–brain barrier. These systems exploit the anatomical proximity of the olfactory and trigeminal nerves, providing a rapid transport route from the nasal cavity to brain tissues. Recent advances in formulation science have produced nano- and micro-particles, such as lipid-based nanoparticles, nanoemulsions and mucoadhesive gels, that enhance drug stability, increase residence time and improve targeting efficiency. Preclinical studies demonstrate promising outcomes in models of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as in the management of pain and psychiatric disorders. Therapeutic strategies have progressed from small-molecule compounds to biologics and peptides; however, challenges remain in overcoming mucociliary clearance, enzymatic degradation and precise dose administration. Innovations in device engineering and surface modification techniques, such as ligand conjugation and controlled-release matrices, are refining deposition accuracy and reducing systemic exposure. The global significance of intranasal delivery lies in its potential to simplify administration, reduce peripheral side effects and enhance patient compliance. Multidisciplinary collaboration among neuroscientists, formulation chemists and biomedical engineers is accelerating the translation of these platforms towards clinical evaluation and eventual therapeutic application.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Intranasal Drug Delivery Systems for Central Nervous System Applications publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in intranasal drug delivery systems for central nervous system applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Blood–brain barrier: A selective endothelial barrier that restricts passage of most molecules from the bloodstream into the central nervous system.
Olfactory and trigeminal pathways: Neural routes connecting the nasal mucosa directly to the brain, enabling drug transport along nerve fibres.
Mucoadhesion: The ability of a formulation to adhere to the nasal mucosal surface, thereby prolonging residence time.
Nanoemulsion: A sub-micron emulsion system stabilised by surfactants, used to encapsulate drugs for enhanced solubility and nose-to-brain delivery.
Mucociliary clearance: The physiological mechanism of ciliary motion and mucus flow that removes foreign particles and formulations from the nasal cavity.
References
- Intranasal delivery of imaging agents to the brain. Theranostics (2024).
- Intranasal delivery bypasses the blood-brain barrier to target therapeutic agents to the central nervous system and treat neurodegenerative disease. BMC Neuroscience (2008).
- Intranasal drug delivery: opportunities and toxicologic challenges during drug development. Drug Delivery and Translational Research (2021).
- Tailoring Formulations for Intranasal Nose-to-Brain Delivery: A Review on Architecture, Physico-Chemical Characteristics and Mucociliary Clearance of the Nasal Olfactory Mucosa. Pharmaceutics (2018).
- The nasal approach to delivering treatment for brain diseases: an anatomic, physiologic, and delivery technology overview. Therapeutic Delivery (2014).
- Surface-Modified Nanocarriers for Nose-to-Brain Delivery: From Bioadhesion to Targeting. Pharmaceutics (2018).
- Strategies to Enhance Drug Absorption via Nasal and Pulmonary Routes. Pharmaceutics (2019).
- Nanoemulsions for “Nose-to-Brain” Drug Delivery. Pharmaceutics (2019).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.