Intranasal Administration of Molecular-gated Mesoporous Nanoparticles to Increase Ponatinib Delivery to the Brain

Glioblastoma is the most common and lethal brain cancer. New treatments are needed. However, the presence of the blood-brain barrier is limiting the development of new treatments directed toward the brain, as it restricts the access and distribution of drugs to the CNS. In this work, two different nanoparticles (i.e., mesoporous silica nanoparticles and magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles) loaded with ponatinib were prepared. Both particles were characterized and tested and , proving that they are not toxic for blood-brain barrier cells and they increase the amount of drug reaching the brain when administered intranasally in comparison with the results obtained for the free drug.