Nanoparticle-Mediated Brain-Targeted Drug Delivery for Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Advances, Challenges and Translational Perspectives.
- 1NHC Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction Medicine, School of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, People's Republic of China.
- 2Faculty of Information Engineering and Automation, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) poses a significant global health challenge, lacking FDA-approved pharmacotherapies. Despite extensive exploration of therapeutic targets and interventions, effective treatment remains scarce due to challenges in delivering therapeutic agents to relevant brain regions at effective concentrations. Nanoparticle-mediated delivery offers a promising approach for transporting various therapeutic cargos to the central nervous system, including small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides, proteins, and gene-editing systems. However, the application of nanomedicine strategies in addressing the unique pathophysiological characteristics of MUD has not been systematically assessed. This review presents a problem-focused analysis of how lipid-based, polymeric, inorganic, biological, and hybrid nanocarriers tackle successive delivery obstacles such as systemic stability, blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration, brain region-specific distribution, and controlled release of intracellular cargo. We compare preclinical nanotherapeutic approaches encompassing small-molecule neuroprotective agents, anti-METH vaccines, gene-silencing RNAs, neurotrophic proteins, and emerging gene-editing methods, outlining their respective benefits, limitations, and design considerations. Additionally, we explore key factors influencing nanomedicine performance in MUD, including protein corona formation, the impact of METH-related BBB dysfunction and neuroinflammation on nanoparticle distribution, and the disparity between acute animal models and chronic human MUD with relapse tendencies. In conclusion, we present a systematic framework for aligning nanocarrier characteristics with distinct delivery obstacles and therapeutic needs. We also emphasize forthcoming avenues such as disease-triggered nanocarriers, targeted delivery to specific regions, combined nanomedical approaches, theranostic strategies, and standardized assessments of biodistribution, effectiveness, safety, and translational potential.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026nanoparticlemediated,
title = {{Nanoparticle-Mediated Brain-Targeted Drug Delivery for Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Advances, Challenges and Translational Perspectives.}},
author = {Xinjie Zhang and Ruike Xu and Min Wang and Yan Du and Miao Zhang and Lihua Li and Genmeng Yang and Shijun Hong},
journal = {International journal of nanomedicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/ijn.s625117},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899172},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nanoparticle-Mediated Brain-Targeted Drug Delivery for Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Advances, Challenges and Translational Perspectives.
AU - Xinjie Zhang
AU - Ruike Xu
AU - Min Wang
AU - Yan Du
AU - Miao Zhang
AU - Lihua Li
AU - Genmeng Yang
AU - Shijun Hong
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - International journal of nanomedicine
DO - 10.2147/ijn.s625117
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899172
AB - Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) poses a significant global health challenge, lacking FDA-approved pharmacotherapies. Despite extensive exploration of therapeutic targets and interventions, effective treatment remains scarce due to challenges in delivering therapeutic agents to relevant brain regions at effective concentrations. Nanoparticle-mediated delivery offers a promising approach for transporting various therapeutic cargos to the central nervous system, including small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides, proteins, and gene-editing systems. However, the application of nanomedicine strategies in addressing the unique pathophysiological characteristics of MUD has not been systematically assessed. This review presents a problem-focused analysis of how lipid-based, polymeric, inorganic, biological, and hybrid nanocarriers tackle successive delivery obstacles such as systemic stability, blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration, brain region-specific distribution, and controlled release of intracellular cargo. We compare preclinical nanotherapeutic approaches encompassing small-molecule neuroprotective agents, anti-METH vaccines, gene-silencing RNAs, neurotrophic proteins, and emerging gene-editing methods, outlining their respective benefits, limitations, and design considerations. Additionally, we explore key factors influencing nanomedicine performance in MUD, including protein corona formation, the impact of METH-related BBB dysfunction and neuroinflammation on nanoparticle distribution, and the disparity between acute animal models and chronic human MUD with relapse tendencies. In conclusion, we present a systematic framework for aligning nanocarrier characteristics with distinct delivery obstacles and therapeutic needs. We also emphasize forthcoming avenues such as disease-triggered nanocarriers, targeted delivery to specific regions, combined nanomedical approaches, theranostic strategies, and standardized assessments of biodistribution, effectiveness, safety, and translational potential.
SN - 1176-9114
SN - 1178-2013
ER -