Frontiers in pharmacologyJan 5, 2026

Using nasal sprays of iron-binding drugs to treat brain and nervous system diseases

Alzheimers & Treatments Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

Intranasal delivery of iron chelators may provide a promising alternative for treating central nervous system disorders characterized by impaired iron homeostasis.

Brain iron dysregulation is linked to various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Iron chelators like deferoxamine and deferiprone may slow disease progression but face challenges with blood-brain barrier penetration and toxicity.
Intranasal delivery allows for direct access to the brain, potentially improving treatment efficacy while reducing systemic side effects.
Recent studies have explored intranasal deferoxamine in Alzheimer's disease and stroke, with promising results that may extend to other chelators.
Comparisons of intranasal administration with traditional routes suggest advantages in targeting the central nervous system.

Simplified

Brain iron dyshomeostasis plays a critical role in the pathology of multiple central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. Iron chelators such as deferoxamine (DFO) and deferiprone (DFP) have demonstrated therapeutic potential in mitigating disease progression in these conditions. However, systemic administration is hindered by poor blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, dose-limiting toxicity, and poor patient compliance due to frequent dosing regimens. In recent years, intranasal (IN) drug delivery has emerged as a promising strategy to bypass the BBB, providing a direct nose-to-brain delivery route via olfactory and trigeminal pathways while minimizing systemic exposure. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the current status of iron chelation therapy for CNS disorders with a focus on pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and translational potential of IN administration. While IN DFO has been extensively studied in preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease and stroke, recent developments have expanded the scope to other chelators such as DFP. We compare traditional systemic routes, including oral and intravenous, with intranasal administration, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations for CNS delivery. With ongoing advances in formulation and delivery technologies, IN iron chelators provide a promising alternative for the treatment of CNS disorders characterized by impaired iron homeostasis in the brain.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

Funding

Competing interests

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

PubMed

Using nasal sprays of iron-binding drugs to treat brain and nervous system diseases

Abstract

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the alzheimers & treatments brief