Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Science - Department of Biophysics

Nowadays, Nanotechnology is used to solve the problem of the delivery of pharmaceuticals to the brain which is restricted by the blood brain barrier. In this study we prepared silica nanoparticles (MSNs) for deliver. Thymoquinone (TQ), which used as a drug model. The prepared nanoparticles were examined using TEM, DLS, and Zeta potential. TEM revealed that the size of prepared nanoparticle was about80-120nm, which was confirmed using Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. Zeta potential measurements were 30.8±2.34 mV for free silica nanoparticles and - 15.9±1.85 mV for loaded with TQ. Assessment the TQ distribution in different brain areas showed that the nano-carrier enhance the targeting of TQ to the brain by 13.24%, 11.47%, 19.88% and 70.78%than free TQ in cortex, thalamus, midbrain and hypothalamus respectively. In conclusion: The using silica nanoparticlese increase the drug bioavailability to the brain

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