Investigation of the “Nose-to-Brain” Pathways in Intranasal HupA Nanoemulsions and Evaluation of Their in vivo Pharmacokinetics and Brain-Targeting Ability

Purpose: While developing huperzine A (HupA) to explore new approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease (AD), intranasal administration was proposed as an alternative route to deliver drugs into the brain. This study aimed to prepare nanoemulsions (NEs) of HupA to investigate their potential “nose-to-brain” pathways and to evaluate their pharmacokinetic and brain-targeting parameters.

Methods: HupA-NE and Lf-HupA-NE that underwent surface modification with lactoferrin (Lf) were characterized to determine various physicochemical properties, such as their size, PDI, zeta potential, pH, and loading efficiency; in addition, transmission electron microscopy and stability assessments were performed. We utilized an aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) probe to monitor intact NEs in the brains of olfactory nerve transection model and normal rats. Immunohistochemistry, pharmacokinetic and targeting index analyses were performed to investigate the in vivo effects of HupA-NE and Lf-HupA-NE.

Results: Based on the live imaging results, HupA-NE and Lf-HupA-NE could be transported into the brain via nerve and blood circulation pathways. Immunohistochemical staining tests demonstrated that the efflux proteins P-gp, MRP1, and BCRP were expressed in brain tissue. NEs can inhibit efflux pumps to improve drug concentrations in the brain. The findings of this study showed that NEs (especially Lf-HupA-NE) had better pharmacokinetic profiles and a better nose-to-brain drug transport efficiency than free HupA.

Conclusion: The newly designed formulations might contribute to the transport and accumulation of HupA to achieve therapeutic results. The delivery system may be a promising strategy for the brain-targeted delivery of HupA.

Materials

HupA was supplied by MULTI SCIENCES (Hangzhou, China). Propylene glycol monocaprylate (Capryol 90) and caprylocaproyl macrogolglycerides (Labrasol) were purchased from Gattefossé (Saint-Priest, France). Propan-2-yl tetradecanoate (IPM) was provided by Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China). Anti-P-gp antibody [EPR10364] (ab168337), anti-BCRP/ABCG2 antibody [EPR20080] (ab207732), anti-MRP1 antibody [EPR21062] (ab233383), and goat anti-rabbit IgG (H+L)-horseradish peroxidase-conjugated (ab181448) secondary antibody were purchased from Abcam (Cambridge, UK). The water-quenching near infrared fluorescent probe P2 (λabs/λem = 720 nm/740 nm) was provided by the School of Pharmacy, Fudan University.

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Jiang Y, Jiang Y, Ding Z, Yu Q. Investigation of the “Nose-to-Brain” Pathways in Intranasal HupA Nanoemulsions and Evaluation of Their in vivo Pharmacokinetics and Brain-Targeting Ability. Int J Nanomedicine. 2022;17:3443-3456
https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S369978