The Latest Articles on Nanotechnology in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Our staff editors continue to share exciting, interesting, and thought-provoking reading material in the recommended articles series.
This week, we would like to share several latest articles on nanotechnology in neurodegenerative diseases.
Title: Nanotechnology in the diagnostic and therapy for Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Archna Panghal, S.J.S. Flora
Type: Review
Abstract:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by β-amyloid plaque, intraneuronal tangles, significant neuronal loss and cognitive deficit. Treatment in the early stages of the disease is crucial for preventing or perhaps reversing the neurodegeneration in the AD cases. However, none of the current diagnostic procedures are capable of early diagnosis of AD. Further, the available treatments merely provide symptomatic alleviation in AD and do not address the underlying illness. Therefore, there is no permanent cure for AD currently. Better therapeutic outcomes need the optimum drug concentration in the central nervous system (CNS) by traversing blood-brain-barrier (BBB). Nanotechnology offers enormous promise to transform the treatment and diagnostics of neurodegenerative diseases. Nanotechnology based diagnostic tools, drug delivery systems and theragnostic are capable of highly sensitive molecular detection, effective drug targeting and their combination. Significant work has been done in this area over the last decade and prospective results have been obtained in AD therapy. This review explores the various applications of nanotechnology in addressing the varied facets of AD, ranging from early detection to therapeutic interventions. This review also looks at how nanotechnology can help with the development of disease-modifying medicines, such as the delivery of anti-amyloid, anti-tau, cholinesterase inhibitors, antioxidants and hormonal drugs. In conclusion, this paper discusses the role of nanotechnology in the early detection of AD, effective drug targeting to the CNS and theragnostic applications in the management of AD.
Access this article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2024.130559
Title: Nanozyme enabled protective therapy for neurological diseases
Authors: Fangyi Cheng, Sumasri Kotha, Miao Fu, Qi Yang, Heng Wang, Weiwei He, Xiaobo Mao
Type: Review
Abstract
Nanozymes are nanomaterials that mimic enzymatic activities found in natural human biological processes. Nanozymes can perform reactive oxidative species (ROS) scavenging activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD), thereby relieving oxidative stress, which is a common pathophysiological factor for multiple neurological disorders. Current nanozyme developments have led to increasing applications of these unique molecules in novel treatments for neurological disorders. In this review article, we provide a comprehensive review of the mechanisms and structures of current nanozymes that are used in neurological disorders, focusing primarily on the oxidative stress-mediating mechanisms. We then discuss the roles of oxidative stress in various neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), stroke, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Huntington's disease (HD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and summarize current nanozyme therapeutics developed to treat these diseases, both through mechanisms that counter oxidative stress as well as through synergistic mechanisms that couple targeting oxidative stress with pathological protein clearance and neuroinflammation reduction.
Access this article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nantod.2023.102142
Title: Nanotechnology for enhanced nose-to-brain drug delivery in treating neurological diseases
Authors: Qianqian Huang, Yongke Chen, Weiwei Zhang, Xue Xia, Hanmei Li, Meng Qin, Huile Gao
Type: Review
Abstract:
Despite the increasing global incidence of brain disorders, achieving sufficient delivery towards the central nervous system (CNS) remains a formidable challenge in terms of translating into improved clinical outcomes. The brain is highly safeguarded by physiological barriers, primarily the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which routinely excludes most therapeutics from entering the brain following systemic administration. Among various strategies investigated to circumvent this challenge, intranasal administration, a noninvasive method that bypasses the BBB to allow direct access of drugs to the CNS, has been showing promising results. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, in particular, have demonstrated remarkable capacities in overcoming the challenges posed by nose-to-brain drug delivery and facilitating targeted drug accumulation within the brain while minimizing side effects of systemic distribution. This review comprehensively summarizes the barriers of nose-to-brain drug delivery, aiming to enhance our understanding of potential physiological obstacles and improve the efficacy of nasal delivery in future trials. We then highlight cutting-edge nanotechnology-based studies that enhance nose-to-brain drug delivery in three key aspects, demonstrating substantial potential for improved treatment of brain diseases. Furthermore, the attention towards clinical studies will ease the regulatory approval process for nasal administration of nanomedicines targeting brain disease.
Access this article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.12.054
Title: Deciphering the role of nanocarrier-based nucleic acid delivery to the brain for the management of neurodegenerative disorders
Authors: Subham Panigrahy, Anupama Sikder, Etikala Amulya, Saurabh Shah, Pooja Khairnar, Shailendra Saraf, Saurabh Srivastava
Type: Review
Abstract:
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD), are characterized by the degeneration and eventual death of neurons in the central nervous system. Despite billions of dollars invested in conventional treatments, they only provide symptomatic relief and do not address the underlying pathological pathways. As the disease progresses, the efficacy of these treatments is reduced. Nucleic acid-based therapies can potentially target the pathophysiological pathways and provide neuroprotection and neuro-restoration directly. However, several underlying bottlenecks, like lack of target organ specificity, high cost, severe immune reactions, nuclease-assisted degradation and metabolism and inability to cross the BBB, limit their applications. Such a therapeutic gap could be bridged by employing nanocarrier-mediated nucleic acid delivery. This review highlights the challenges associated with nucleic acid delivery in neurological disorders. In this review, nanocarrier-mediated nucleic acid delivery for managing AD and PD has been emphasized in detail. The bottlenecks associated with potential clinical translation have been deliberated.
Access this article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2023.105325
Title: Impact of nanoplastics on Alzheimer ’s disease: Enhanced amyloid-β peptide aggregation and augmented neurotoxicity
Authors: Xiaoli Gou, Yongchun Fu, Juan Li, Juan Xiang, Minghui Yang, Yi Zhang
Type: Research Article
Abstract:
Nanoplastics, widely existing in the environment and organisms, have been proven to cross the blood-brain barrier, increasing the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, current studies mainly focus on the neurotoxicity of nanoplastics themselves, neglecting their synergistic effects with other biomolecules and the resulting neurotoxicity. Amyloid β peptide (Aβ), which triggers neurotoxicity through its self-aggregation, is the paramount pathogenic protein in AD. Here, employing polystyrene nanoparticles (PS) as a model for nanoplastics, we reveal that 100 pM PS nanoparticles significantly accelerate the nucleation rate of two Aβ subtypes (Aβ40 and Aβ42) at low concentrations, promoting the formation of more Aβ oligomers and leading to evident neurotoxicity. The hydrophobic surface of PS facilitates the interaction of hydrophobic fragments between Aβ monomers, responsible for the augmented neurotoxicity. This work provides consequential insights into the modulatory impact of low-dose PS on Aβ aggregation and the ensuing neurotoxicity, presenting a valuable foundation for future research on the intricate interplay between environmental toxins and brain diseases.
Access this article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133518
