Novel approaches for the delivery of therapeutics in ischemic stroke

• Published in: Drug discovery today Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 535 - 551
• Main Authors: Nozohouri, Saeideh, Sifat, Ali Ehsan, Vaidya, Bhuvaneshwar, Abbruscato, Thomas J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2020
• ISSN: 1359-6446; 1878-5832
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2020.01.007

•Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide.•Current therapeutic options for stroke are use of tPA or endovascular thrombectomy.•Multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms are involved in stroke pathophysiology.•Recently novel approaches of drug delivery to the ischemic brain are being explored.•Delivery of neuroprotectants to salvageable penumbra could improve stroke outcome.
Ischemic stroke, a prominent cause of mortality and disability, is a combination of neuronal and vascular disorders. Reperfusion techniques, such as administration of tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA) and endovascular mechanical thrombectomy, are commonly used treatment approaches. In recent years, interest has focused on saving the salvageable penumbra using neuroprotective strategies to improve long-term stroke outcomes. However, insufficient drug delivery to the ischemic brain, especially to penumbra, remains one of the major obstacles. Several novel approaches have been investigated to improve brain delivery. In this review, we discuss different novel drug delivery approaches explored by researchers in recent years for improved treatment of ischemic stroke.
Here, we review novel approaches to deliver neuroprotective drugs to salvageable penumbral brain areas of stroke injury with the goals of offsetting ischemic brain injury and enhancing recovery.