Intranasal Cannabidiol Microemulsion: Design and Characterization for Brain Delivery

Samila Peczek – Student, Pharmacy, Midwest State University - Brazil; Ana Daniela Alves – Pos-doc, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto; Paulo da Costa – Professor, Universidade do Porto; Maria dos Anjos Rodrigues – Professor, Faculdade de Farmácia da Univesidade do Porto

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder lacking effective disease-modifying therapies (1). Cannabidiol (CBD) exhibits neuroprotective properties but has limited bioavailability due to high lipophilicity. Intranasal delivery can bypass first-pass metabolism and enable direct brain targeting (2). Microemulsions improve solubilization and permeation of lipophilic drugs (3). This study aimed to develop and characterize a cannabidiol microemulsion for intranasal brain delivery.