Application of Nanomaterials in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease are very harmful brain lesions. Due to the difficulty in obtaining therapeutic drugs, the best treatment for neurodegenerative diseases is often not available. In addition, the bloodbrain barrier can effectively prevent the transfer of cells, particles and macromolecules (such as drugs) in the brain, resulting in the failure of the traditional drug delivery system to provide adequate cellular structure repair and connection modes, which are crucial for the functional recovery of neurodegenerative diseases. Nanomaterials are designed to carry drugs across the blood-brain barrier for targets. Nanotechnology uses engineering materials or equipment to interact with biological systems at the molecular level to induce physiological responses through stimulation, response and target site interactions, while minimizing the side effects, thus revolutionizing the treatment and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Some magnetic nanomaterials play a role as imaging agents or nanoprobes for Magnetic Resonance Imaging to assist in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Although the current research on nanomaterials is not as useful as expected in clinical applications, it achieves a major breakthrough and guides the future development direction of nanotechnology in the application of neurodegenerative diseases. This review briefly discusses the application and advantages of nanomaterials in neurodegenerative diseases. Data for this review were identified by searches of PubMed, and references from relevant articles published in English between 2015 and 2019 using the search terms "nanomaterials", "neurodegenerative diseases" and "blood-brain barrier".