Aging and Weight Control by Nose to Brain Drug Delivery

Brain is the key target for many drugs used in obesity and aging. Currently marketed anti-obesity and anti-aging regimes are available in oral dosage forms having limited brain uptake due to the strict blood brain barrier. To overcome this barrier novel, practical and non-invasive intranasal route was attempted to deliver drugs in microemulsion or mucoadhesive microemulsion to the brain. Bromocriptine and cabergoline were selected as the test drugs as review of recent research reveal the possible application of these as anti-obesity and anti-aging therapeutics. The in-vivo pharmacokinetic studies in Swiss albino rats confirmed the intranasal route a rational approach to deliver these drugs selectively and effectively to the brain than intravenous or oral administrations. The in-vivo pharmacodynamic studies confirmed the efficacy of bromocriptine and cabergoline as anti-obesity and anti-ageing drugs. These preliminary but encouraging results are provoking to conduct long term studies in at least two more animal models followed by extensive clinical evaluation for a product for clinical use.