Abstract
Efficient delivery of therapeutic material to target site of the inner ear is considered as the most challenging process due to their poor blood flow and inaccessibility sensitivity towards chemical stimuli, inability of drug to be delivered as well. Novel nanoparticle-based drug transport approaches have emerged for overcoming the restriction associated with inner ear therapeutic material delivery. The main focus of this article is to highlight the potential benefits, pre-clinical level otoprotective effect of different types of NPs based payload delivery strategies in mitigating sensorineural hearing impairment resulting from medication (cisplatin and antibiotic treatment) and noise exposure. This review converses about advantage of nanocarrier assisted targeted cell specific inner ear drug delivery approach and demonstrates that targeted NPs delivery systems have the capability to be utilized as vehicle to transport therapeutic materials into the OHCs within the cochlea in controlled and sustained way and maximize following therapeutic effects. Efficacy of systemic and minimally invasive intratympanic and RWM approach for delivering steroids/ genetic material to the inner ear has also been compared in this article. Understanding the importance (design, formulation, cochlear biocompatibility and cell specific binding efficiency of NPs, mechanistic pathways, route of delivery, positive therapeutic outcomes) and hitches (adverse effects after treatment, negative therapeutic outcome) of currently available NPs based drug delivery systems offer new opportunity to develop best treatment methods for sensorineural hearing dysfunction.