Intranasal drug delivery: how, why and what for?

Abstract

Over the recent decades the interest in intranasal delivery as a non-invasive route for drugs is increased. Since the nasal mucosa offers numerous benefits as a target tissue for drug delivery, a wide variety of therapeutic compounds may be administered intranasally for topic, systemic and central nervous system action. We have, herein, outlined the relevant aspects of nasal anatomy, physiology and histology, and the biological, physicochemical and pharmaceutical factors that must be considered during the process of discovery and development of nasal drugs as well as in their incorporation into appropriate nasal pharmaceutical formulations.