Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for Blood-Brain Barrier Targeted Delivery of Repurposed Drugs in Glioblastoma models

Mireia Vilar-Hernández – PhD Student, Lipocoat & University of Twente, Enchede, Netherlands.; Magalí Sureda – Master Student, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Vincenzo Montanarella – PhD Student, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Giacomoluciano Vitelli – PhD Student, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Narine Fischer-Albiol – Master Student, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Andrea Dorado – Research Technician, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Sandra Mancilla – Research Technician, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Belén García – Research Technician, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Zamira Vanessa Díaz-Riascos – Principal Investigator, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Roser Ferrer-Costa – Principal Investigator, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Simo Schwartz Jr – Principal Investigator, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Fernanda Andrade – Principal Investigator, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain; Diana Rafael – Principal Investigator, Clinical Biochemistry and Drug Delivery and Therapy (CB-DDT), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain

Introduction:

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor with limited therapeutic options, largely due to poor drug penetration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) are biocompatible nanocarriers suitable for lipophilic drug encapsulation, enabling controlled release and surface functionalization. Owing to their lipidic nature, SLN can interact with and diffuse through biological membranes, including BBB, enhancing brain drug delivery¹. In this study, SLN were developed to deliver repurposed drugs^2,3 - such as simvastatin, itraconazole, and mebendazole - and their GBM therapeutic efficacy and delivery performance were evaluated in 2D, 3D, and BBB models.