The intranasal route, traditionally used for local treatments, has recently emerged as a promising strategy for brain delivery by bypassing the blood-brain barrier. Polymer‑based micellar systems can enhance bioavailability, benefiting neuroactive compounds such as Trichilia catigua , a natural compound known for its antioxidant, antidepressant, and anti‑inflammatory properties. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize micellar systems composed of poloxamer 407 and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose for the intranasal administration of T. catigua , with respect to their physicochemical, rheological, mechanical, and mucoadhesive properties. A factorial design was employed, and following the evaluation of pH, textural mechanical properties, and solution-gel transition temperature (T sol/gel ), the most promising systems were selected for further assessment of rheological behavior, mucoadhesive properties, and micellar size. The developed systems were stable and exhibited suitable pH, mechanical, rheological, and sol-gel characteristics for intranasal administration, leading to the selection of formulations F2, F3, and F4 for advanced evaluation. These systems demonstrated stability, nanometric micellar structures, favorable mucoadhesive behavior, and predominantly pseudoplastic and viscoelastic rheology with yield stress and rheopectic characteristics. Overall, these findings indicate promising potential for the nose-to-brain delivery of T. catigua extract or others bioactive compounds, highlighting their potential to overcome solubility and stability limitations. However, further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to more comprehensively evaluate additional characteristics of the selected systems, including release profiles, antioxidant activity, and cytotoxicity. • Nasal drug delivery is a strategic route for the treatment of neurological diseases. • P407-HPMC based systems may enhance the bioavailability of neuroactive compounds. • Trichilia catigua exhibits antioxidant, antidepressant, and other effects. • Developed systems showed suitable properties for nose-to-brain delivery of T. catigua . • Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to better evaluate the systems.
Botan et al. (Fri,) studied this question.