Delivery of siRNA to the brain using a combination of nose-to-brain delivery and cell-penetrating peptide-modified nano-micelles

The potential for RNA-based agents to serve as effective therapeutics for central nerve systems (CNS) disorders has been successfully demonstrated in vitro. However, the blood-brain barrier limits the distribution of systemically administered therapeutics to the CNS, posing a major challenge for drug development aimed at combatting CNS disorders. Therefore, the development of effective strategies to enhance siRNA delivery to the brain is of great interest in clinical and pharmaceutical fields. To improve the efficiency of small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery to the brain, we developed a nose-to-brain delivery system combined with cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) modified nano-micelles comprising polyethylene glycol-polycaprolactone (PEG-PCL) copolymers conjugated with the CPP, Tat (MPEG-PCL-Tat). In this study, we describe intranasal brain delivery of siRNA or dextran (Mw: 10,000 Da) as a model siRNA, by using MPEG-PCL-Tat. Intranasal delivery of dextran with MPEG-PCL-Tat improved brain delivery compared to intravenous delivery of dextran either with or without MPEG-PCL-Tat. We also studied the intranasal transfer of MPEG-PCL-Tat to the brain via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves, the putative pathways to the brain from the nasal cavity. We found that MPEG-PCL-Tat accelerated transport along the olfactory and trigeminal nerve pathway because of its high permeation across the nasal mucosa.