Enhancement of nose-brain delivery of therapeutic agents for treating neurodegenerative diseases using peppermint oil.

The nose-brain pathway is a potential route for drug delivery as it bypasses the brain barriers. The main objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of peppermint oil in enhancing the bioavailability of intranasally administered neurotrophins like nerve growth factor (NGF). The effect of different concentrations of peppermint oil (PO) on the delivery of NGF across bovine olfactory epithelium was studied in vitro using Franz diffusion cells. Trans-olfactory epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) was measured to assess the permeability status of the bovine olfactory epithelium. The bioavailability of intranasally administered formulations in rat hippocampus was studied by carrying out brain microdialysis in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Peppermint oil at concentrations of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5% v/v enhanced the in vitro transport of NGF by 5, 7 and 8 fold, respectively. In vivo studies employing brain microdialysis in rats demonstrated that intranasal administration of NGF formulation with 0.5% PO enhanced the bioavailability by approximately 8 fold compared to rats administered with NGF alone. The bioavailability of NGF in the brain could be enhanced by intranasal administration of peppermint oil.