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Nanogels are emerging as promising nanocarriers for delivering therapeutic agents to treat central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Traditional therapeutic approaches for CNS disorders are often hindered by the inability to cross the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) and blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB), necessitating high and frequent dosages that can lead to off-target effects. Nanogels, however, offer a unique solution by enabling targeted delivery across these barriers with minimal dosages and a controlled-release mechanism, marking a significant advancement in CNS treatment. This narrative review explores the current knowledge and recent advancements in the application of nanogels for CNS disorders. Specifically, it highlights how chitosan-based, polyethylene glycol-based, polypeptide-based, and dextran-based nanogels effectively cross the BCSFB, while macrophage membrane-encapsulated and polyethylene glycol-based nanogels traverse the BSCB. These nanogels are compatible with a range of therapeutic agents, including neural stem cells, metformin, methotrexate, rolipram, oncomodulin, and antagomir-21, targeting CNS disorders like spinal cord injury and intervertebral disc degeneration. Additionally, nanogels can be administered through various routes such as intravenous, intranasal, intrathecal, and intraganglionic methods. Despite these promising developments, further research is necessary to fully elucidate their mechanisms of action and optimize their therapeutic efficacy for clinical applications.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the world’s most prevalent cardiac arrhythmias. It poses a heavy burden on patients, physicians and the global healthcare system as it is one of the top leading causes of cardiovascular death. Researchers have spent numerous years conducting clinical trials to investigate the effectiveness, cost and practicality of treatment for patients suffering from AF. The primary treatment strategy for AF (acute, chronic, persistent, paroxysmal, non-valvular, nonrheumatic, and rapid) involves the use of antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) and anticoagulant drugs (ACD) to manage heart rate and rhythm, as well as to prevent strokes. This review aims to discuss clinical trials that compared AADs (class Ia: quinidine; class Ic: flecainide, propafenone; class III: sotalol, amiodarone) and ACDs (vitamin K antagonist: warfarin; factor Xa inhibitor: apixaban, rivaroxaban; thrombin inhibitor: dabigatran) with cardiovascular surgical interventions (i.e., catheter ablation, cryoballoon ablation, ablation and DDDR pacemaker, electrical cardioversion, and left atrial appendage occlusion) to treat various types of AF in patients with a diverse history of cardiovascular diseases and medical history. This study provides a review of clinical trials on this topic and enables healthcare professionals to determine the best-suited treatment for their patients.

The present era demands the development of drug delivery systems that can target therapeutic agents to the site of action with minimal concentration, thereby avoiding unwanted side effects. One of the major obstacles to achieving this objective is the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), which restricts the availability of drugs to the posterior segment of the eye. Traditional methods of drug delivery, such as eye injections and topical application, suffer from low bioavailability and the need for frequent dosing. Nanogels (NGs), a novel drug delivery system, offer a promising solution to this challenge. NGs are comprised of drug particles in the nanometer range and high-viscosity polymer networks, which increases the contact time and facilitates the easy crossing of the BRB. These formulations are easy to prepare, sterilize, and use, and can maintain a desired drug level through initial bursting followed by slow release over time. This narrative review focuses on the growing role of various NGs, including chitosan, chitin, hyaluronan, hyaluronic acid, lysine-carbonized, 2-hydroxypropyl gamma-cyclodextrin, and methylcellulose and poly(N-ter-butylacrylamide) based NGs, in the efficient and safe delivery of drugs to the posterior ocular region by crossing the BRB and avoiding cytotoxicity and immunogenicity.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a life-changing and life-threatening cardiac electropathological condition, especially in patients with prior history of cardiovascular diseases. This multifaceted condition is one of the top 5 leading causes of cardiovascular death with a rapidly increasing prevalence and death rate. From inception till now, numerous clinical trials have been conducted to explore novel therapeutic targets and strategies along with pre-existing treatments for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. The pharmacotherapy approach to treat AF (acute, chronic, persistent, paroxysmal, non-valvular, nonrheumatic, and rapid) comprises mainly antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) and anticoagulant drugs (ACD) for rate and rhythm control along with the prevention of strokes. This narrative review aims to discuss monotherapeutic clinical trials that compared AADs (class II: carvedilol and xamoterol; class III: amiodarone; class IV: verapamil, diltiazem, and nifedipine) and ACDs (vitamin K antagonist: warfarin; factor Xa inhibitor: apixaban; factor IIa and Xa inhibitor: heparin) with cardiac glycoside (digoxin), angiotensin II receptor antagonist (telmisartan), platelet inhibitor (indobufen), anti-convulsant (magnesium sulfate), anti-inflammatory (aspirin), and antipyretic drugs (aspirin) to treat various types of AF in patients with a diverse history of cardiovascular diseases. This study provides a review of all clinical trials on this topic and provides a comparative chart for healthcare professionals to determine the best-suited treatment for their patients.