Carbohydrate polymer-based nanoparticle application in drug delivery for CNS-related disorders

[Display omitted] •Carbohydrate nanocarriers can enhance the brain uptake of drugs.•Carbohydrate polymers improve drug pharmacokinetics in the brain.•Surfaced-functionalized-polymers with endogenous substances improve drug delivery.•Surface-functionalization can enhance targeted delivery. Brain delivery of drugs faces limitations due to the physiological and physical barriers. One of the strategies to overcome this problem is the use of nanotechnology in a pharmaceutical application. Carbohydrate polymer-based nanoparticles formed by polymerization of small length sugars, as a matrix material for drug delivery are more considered recently. Some of them like chitosan are mucoadhesive and can be used as a carrier in intranasal drug delivery to overcome the limitations of this route. Besides, carbohydrate polymers can enhance drug uptake by the brain. Surface-functionalized with endogenous substances like folic acid or some modifications on carbohydrate polymers can further improve site-specific drug delivery to the brain. Our review concludes that the carbohydrate-polymer nanoparticles as a drug delivery vehicle can be the ideal candidates for the remarkable improvement of both brain targeting and drug pharmacokinetics in the brain.