Solid lipid nanoparticles for targeted brain drug delivery

The present review discusses the potential use of solid lipid nanoparticles for brain drug targeting purposes. The state of the art on surfactant-coated poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles specifically designed for brain targeting is given by emphasizing the transfer of this technology to solid lipid matrices. The available literature on solid lipid nanoparticles and related carriers for brain drug targeting is revised as well. The potential advantages of the use of solid lipid nanoparticles over polymeric nanoparticles are accounted on the bases of a lower cytotoxicity, higher drug loading capacity, and best production scalability. Solid lipid nanoparticles physicochemical characteristics are also particularly regarded in order to address the critical issues related to the development of suitable brain targeting formulations. A critical consideration on the potential application of such technology as related to the current status of brain drug development is also given. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.